Defying Fate
by rockerchick16
Summary: No one believed it was real . . .There was no possible way a child could be born with red eyes. No possible way one soul could destroy the earth. It was impossible . . . until the day came when their destroyer was born into this world.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I now like to present to you my new creation. I had a lot of help with daichilover, my co-writer. She has helped me out a lot with the plot and title. I hope everyone enjoys and please review. Tell me what you think!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Chapter 1: Prophecy**

There is a prophecy as old as time:

_A babe with blue rimmed eyes and red irises will be born on a moonless night. On his seventeenth birthday, a rain of terrors shall follow; the sky, forever dark; the earth, forever cold. Many shall try and destroy him, but none shall prevail. Cries of mournful mothers will engulf the sky. Fathers drenched in the blood of the fallen weep with pain. And he, the new king, shall rule all._

For many years, this prophecy had been ignored. No one believed it was real. Not even the priests gave heed to the warning of famine and chaos. There was no possible way a child could be born with red eyes. No possible way one soul could destroy the earth. It was impossible, or so they thought until the day came when there destroyer was born into the world…

Thunder clasped and struck the earth. A fierce wind blew, shaking the little abandon house on the hill.

A small cry came from the house, unheard because of the wind. A young maiden lay on the dusted floor. Her right hand lay on her swollen belly as another cry passed her lips. With the little strength she had, she pushed herself against the wall, preparing for the babe to come. Another contraction rippled through her body. Tears poured down her pale cheeks.

Spreading her feet apart, she pushed. She felt the slip of the baby coming. She pushed again, feeling herself being stretched apart as the life that was in her womb was ready to come out. She leaned against the wall, tired but needing to finish. With one last push, the baby came, she cried out in happiness.

Leaning forward she picked up the new love of her life and cradled the baby to her chest. The babe continued crying, but the young maiden smiled, none the less. She was happy that her baby boy was finally born.

"I shall call you Inuyasha, my beautiful Inuyasha." She kissed him on the forehead and rocked him to sleep.

Outside, the sky cried mournfully, knowing the destroyer was born at last.

Morning came, but the sky was still dark. Rain continued to poor from the clouds. The young maiden, still in the same spot as the night before, held her child close to her. She rocked him and cooed quietly.

The young maiden knew of the danger she was in. Many would come after her and try to kill her child. She vowed to never let that happen. The moment she knew she was pregnant, she ran away from those that loved her. Now she took shelter in an abandon house. She knew of the consequences. The prophecy was slowly coming true, but she was not going to let the outcome happen.

"Everyone has their own destiny. It doesn't have to be the way it is written. I believe you can change yours Inuyasha." She kissed her babe on the forehead and got up. Glancing out the window, she made sure no one was around before she left. Wrapping Inuyasha in a tattered cloth, she headed for the nearby village.

The young maiden was wary as she gathered her supplies in the village. As she was about to leave the food stand, a middle aged woman stopped her.

"Excuse me miss, but what is your name." the woman asked.

The young maiden hesitated before answering. "Izayoi, my name is Izayoi."

"What a beautiful name."

"Thank you." Izayoi turned and was about to leave when the woman spoke out to her again.

"You are welcomed to stay in my home if you like. The weather is getting colder."

"I thank you, but I already have a place to stay."

"An abandoned house is no place for a mother and her new born." Izayoi gasped, not sure of what to make of the situation before her. It frightened that this woman might know about her baby. As she looked back at the woman, she saw nothing sinister about her. In fact, she reminded her of her mother she left behind.

"You are willing to let my child and I stay with you?"

"Of course," The woman walked over to Izayoi and smiled. "My name is Kaede. I have a little house outside of the village. It's every quiet and secluded."

Izayoi thought about it. She did not want to keep traveling from place to place. There was something about her eyes that made Izayoi trust her. A secret that they only knew.

"Okay, I would really like that."

"That is wonderful." Kaede led them to her little house.

It was difficult to spot with all the trees surrounding it. In the middle of the cluster was her home. Inside, were different pathways that each led to a room. There was no door, but a blanket hanging over each door frame. Kaede stopped at the room with the red blanket.

"This is where you will stay. The room is stocked with blankets to keep you warm. If it gets to cold, you can sleep in the living room. The fire place is in there and it will always be on."

"Thank you so much." Izayoi was grateful for the offer. Inuyasha began to stir. She rocked and tried to calm him, but nothing worked.

"Let me see him," Kaede held her hands out stretched to take Inuyasha, but Izayoi hesitated again. "I won't hurt him." Izayoi finally gave in and gave her Inuyasha. "There is a prophecy about this one."

Izayoi looked at her with alarm. "Please don't hurt him. I beg of you. I love him and will not have anyone hurt him."

Kaede rocked him and got him quiet. She looked up at her and smiled. "I will not hurt you or your babe." Izayoi was speechless as she continued. "I knew that something was different about you from the moment I saw you walk into the village. I will protect you two. Here, no one will bother you or hurt you son."

Izayoi's knees gave out and she sunk to the floor crying. She never thought that she would find someone with such a compassionate heart. Kaede was holding a baby that was destined to destroy the world and she was not afraid.

"No one can tell you your destiny. It is all on how you will make it." She bent down and kissed Izayoi on the forehead. "You don't have to runaway anymore. You will be safe here." That was all she need to hear, all she truly needed. A safe place for her child and her.

"I'm not scared any more. Thank you, thank you so much." She whispered into the arms of her savior.

The heavens rejoiced at the chance they were given. A chance for the prophecy to be faulty, for the destruction to never rise.

Izayoi held Inuyasha and whispered "No more running, we are finally home."

"This will always be your home." Kaede smiled. She motioned toward the bed she was given. "Come. You must be tired. Sleep, and let the next day bring joy to you." Kaede hesitated at the door, only to close it and leave Izayoi with her baby. She gathered blankets and swaddled Inuyasha in them.

"I hope we can live in peace, even if you eyes are blue and red." She nuzzled his face as Inuyasha cooed. "You won't ever need anyone else. I will always be with you." She laid down with Inuyasha, holding him close to her bosom.

**"Sleep now, Inuyasha. We are safe," Izayoi and Inuyasha soon fell asleep, leaving their troubles for the night**

**XXX**

The years passed, and Inuyasha grew to be an energetic child. Izayoi had to use all her energy just to keep up. At least Kaede's house had a forest near to keep him occupied. Izayoi didn't let Inuyasha run free in the village. He would be too noticeable.

"Inuyasha! Inuyasha, where are you?" Izayoi shouted. Inuyasha had wandered off again into the forest. Izayoi followed the usual path that he took while he played. She had made it to the heart of the forest when she found him.

"Inuyasha! What are you doing so far from home?" She bent down to the five year old child. He gazed up at her with his red-blue eyes. He looked as if he had been crying.

"Momma, why can't I play with the other kids?" His eyes looked full of questions, questions Izayoi was ready to answer. She decided to side-track the question.

"What other kids?" Inuyasha pointed toward some bushes about 20 paces from where he stood. Izayoi carefully walked toward the bush and separated the leaves. Sure enough, there were children playing and laughing. A sudden pain came to her heart, and in a sudden rush, she almost regretted confining him. She remembered the threat the men had given her when she became pregnant.

_"If that baby is born, we will kill him! If you resist we'll kill you as well." _

That was when she had decided to leave. Slowly, she walked back toward Inuyasha. He glanced up at her, his eyes only serving to strengthen her conviction.

"I'm sorry, honey. Those children are just not right for you," She left it at that and took Inuyasha's hand, taking him away from the forest. The sun started to set by the time they made it home. Kaede was out in the garden, tending to her herbs and plants. She glanced up as they neared.

"Inuyasha! I see you mother have found ye! Where was he?" She directed the question toward Izayoi.

"Inuyasha, run along and get ready for bed. I'll be there shortly." Inuyasha ran inside. Kaede sat patient, waiting for Izayoi's answer. Izayoi sank down to the floor, her face in distress.

"He found children, Kaede, and then he asked me why he couldn't play with them!" Izayoi's heart sank. "I wish I didn't have to do this. I wish he could live as a normal child," The tears came unbidden. Kaede set down her basket and gently took Isayoi's hands.

"Do not fret. Ye are doing the best for Inuyasha, even if he doesn't see it," She raised her and Izayoi up. "Go. Read to him and make him feel loved. He should always feel loved." Izayoi smiled at her through tear stricken eyes.

"Thank you Kaede," She went into the house. Kaede stood there, listening as the wind whispered their secrets in her ear.

"Ay, child. I wish you were not so burdened." She took her basket and entered her house. The door slammed closed just as the sky turned black.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or characters. I do own the prophecy mentioned throughout the chapters.**

**Chapter 2**

Inuyasha was running in the meadow with Izayoi chasing after him. "You can't catch me!" he laughed and turned away from her running.

"Don't go too far." she smiled and shook her head. She watched as Inuyasha continued to run around. He tripped, falling into the flowers. Izayoi laughed, walked over and picked him up.

He laughed as she held him upside down. "Mommy!"

Placing him right side up, she let go of him and walked over to the little stream. Inuyasha looked at his reflection and looked back at his mother. A sad expression was plastered on his face, his ears dropped a bit from here usual perkiness. Izayoi knew that Inuyasha was still sad about the other day. It was hard to keep her to keep him hidden when he had such an adventurous spirit.

Just like his father, she thought. She was about to say something, but Inuyasha spoke first.

"Why am I so different mommy? Why can't I be like everyone else?" he sniffled and tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to pour down. Izayoi sat by the stream and placed Inuyasha on her lap.

"You are unique love. There is nothing wrong with being different."

"But why am I not allowed to play with the other children? I always have to stay hidden and can never go to the village with you." She sighed not sure how to explain things. It made her heart ache every time she saw Inuyasha said. She wanted him to be happy, to live as a regular kid, but knew that it was futile. He would always have to be away from everyone. They both sat in silence until Inuyasha spoke up again. "Mommy, I heard the children talking about a story."

"What kind of story?"

"I-I think it was about a hanyou. One said that the hanyou was very bad and hurt a lot of people and everyone was sad."

Izayoi thought for awhile and the story came to her head. "I know that story; a priestess told me that story when I was a little girl."

"Is it scary?"

"Well, a little but it has a deep meaning."

"Why do people tell that story?"

She stroked the top of his head. "It is because it has great meaning. You may not understand it at first, but it will come."

"Do you know it?"

"No, it's been awhile since I ever thought about it."

"Oh…"

"Would you like to hear it Inuyasha." He hesitated before nodding. "Okay, now pay close attention Inuyasha." He nodded. "There once was a young hanyou. He was seventeen years old. Notable to return back to his birth place, he was left to wander the earth. He was angry that he was all alone. He began doing terrible things to the villages he passed. Hurting the young and the old, laughing at the pain he caused them."

"He's not very nice."

"I know, but it is only because he was angry about the way people treated him."

"Oh," he was quiet again as Izayoi continued.

"Many people tried to stop him, but none succeeded. In no time, he was ruler of the land. If anyone wanted to survive, they had to listen and obey his every command. Days passed after his ruling and he became lonely. The emptiness that was in his heart came back. Taking a couple of his men, he raided a nearby village to erase the empty feeling. He set the huts on fire and destroyed the people. He came across the very last hut that was far from the village. A young girl the same age as him was there. She had hair the color of the night sky and big round eyes that told a story of sadness and understanding. Now the hanyou felt attracted to the young girl. He did not want to harm her. He decided to take her and make her his personal slave.

"In the beginning, the girl fought him constantly. She never obeyed his commands or duty as his slave. The hanyou was very upset, yet he could never harm her. He could never bring himself to do so."

"But why when she never listened?"

"Whenever he looked in her eyes, he felt free. Everything that he did was forgotten and he felt loved. He felt that he finally had a chance to be happy. But she didn't feel the same about him at first. She hated him for what he was doing, for what he did to her home. She made sure that she made him suffer the way she was.

"One day, while she was walking to her room, she heard a noise from within. When she was inside, she found the hanyou in bed tossing and turning. She knew she had the perfect opportunity to end the hanyou's life and her misery, but she too could not do it. Instead, she watched him. Every now and than, he would speak out. She walked over to him and touched his forehead gently.

"As soon as she touched him, she saw everything. She saw his life flash through her eyes. When it was over, she found the hanyou staring back at her. She pulled away and for the first time, she was crying. She knew his secret, why he was the way he was, everything."

"Why was he?" Inuyasha looked up at her. "What caused him to hurt people."

Izayoi thought long and heard, but shook her head after awhile. "I don't know baby. I don't remember that part."

"Okay," he looked a bit disappointed.

"I'm sorry baby." she kissed the top of his forehead.

"It's okay mommy. What's the rest of the story?"

"That I never got to hear. Before she could tell me the rest, she died. I heard bits and pieces from other people, but nothing that can concluded the story."

"Aw."

"Don't worry dear, I'm sure you will be able to hear the rest of it someday." That cheered him up. "Not let's go. Kaede should be fixing dinner by now."

"Food!" Inuyasha got up and began running home. Izayoi followed behind quietly. She was deep in thought. She wondered about the story, why the hanyou began killing people. It puzzled her that she could not remember.

_Maybe it's not important. Though that did not stop her from thinking about it. Kaede may not something._

Izayoi and Inuyasha walked back hand in hand to Kaede's house. Inuyasha ran up to meet the old woman as she came out the door.

"Why, hello Inuyasha. Did you have a good time with your mother?" Kaede patted his head.

"Yes. Mommy told me a story!" He bounced with excitement. Kaede raised an eyebrow, but said nothing more. Izayoi had in mind to ask Kaede if she knew the story that she had heard. But she would ask when Inuyasha was asleep. Kaede glanced toward her.

"Is there something wrong, Izayoi?" She asked. Izayoi couldn't help but feel queasy at the moment but she didn't understand her feeling. She sat down as Inuyasha ran across the yard chasing a bird.

"Yes, but I would like to ask you when Inuyasha isn't around to hear." She glanced up at Kaede. She smiled, and in it there was something, something akin to sadness. Izayoi didn't understand why she would smile like that.

"Alright. Call me when Inuyasha gets tired," Kaede called, walking away from Izayoi and into the forest again. Kaede knew exactly what story she would want to know. As a young girl, she tried to remember all the bits they had told her. Her older sister, Kikyo, knew more about it. She had learned it from the old priestess who had foretold the prophecy. She gathered the herbs methodically as she started to relive that shared moment with her sister.

_"Sister, what was that priestess talking about?" A younger version of Kaede asked. Her sister looked up momentarily._

_"She told me of the prophecy revealed to her. I cannot not tell you all of it. Only the last part," Kikyo gazed at Kaede. "The last part will be about the hanyou. He will come and he will be disdained by the people he is near. He will have no love saved for the woman who bared him. But in time, he will fall in love, with a young girl. Only she will be able to stop the evil within him." Her voice faltered at the end. She continued to gaze at the fire._

_"But Sister Kikyo, why are you telling me this?" Kaede worried. She did not know of what her sister spoke of, but whatever she said she believed. Kikyo stood all of the sudden. Her face had paled considerably. Kaede knew she must have seen something in the fire, something that had frightened her. She gulped and looked at Kaede. _

_"I cannot reveal to you the purpose. Only know that dark times will befall." Kikyo turned away to make her way out the small hut. She hesitated at the makeshift door. She didn't look back._

_"Kaede, make sure that when I die, you burn my remains." She left before a shocked Kaede could ask anything more._

Her sister had died only a little after that. She only revealed that and another part, but a part she was afraid to even think of. Kaede resolved to pretend not to know about it when Izayoi asked. She would put two and two together and then what would happen? She didn't want to spoil Inuyasha's untarnished childhood.

As for the girl who would love him, she would need the very strength of the world to do so. Kikyo had revealed her vision to her and the just hearing it was ghastly. All the killing, the malice, the hate he would have, would be immense. She just hoped that they could change that. She picked the last herb that she needed and walked back to her house. The sun was setting and soon it would be Inuyasha's bed time. Time to talk to Izayoi.

Izayoi sat watching her beautiful son play with the little animals. She smiled softly at the sight. Even though the people would be scared of him, these harmless little animals could see the wonderful boy inside. He laughed, and the act brought another smile on Izayoi's face. She thought upon his father, who he so greatly looked like. She remembered the day she met him. How he was kind and loving, so much that she loved him unconditionally. Their first night together would be one she would never forgot, conceiving Inuyasha.

But her world had come crashing down when Inutaisho, Inuyasha's father, died in battle. She had cried her eyes out that night. When she came back to her parents in the village, she was already six months pregnant. The old priestess that usually made her yearly trip to the village around this time of year took one look and uttered the words that had condemned her and her son. That was when she went in that abandon house.

She had been scavenging for herself, but the baby came early. She struggled by herself, but at last Inuyasha was brought into the world. During that time was when she had came there. That was five years ago. She was brought back to reality when Inuyasha's tugged on her arm

"Mommy, it's almost sundown." Inuyasha yawned. He was tired after all the running. One thing for sure, birds were fast.

Izayoi lifted Inuyasha in her arms and made her way inside the house. She tucked him in, and said goodnight. Soon, Inuyasha was fast asleep. Izayoi walked outside to wait for Kaede. The stars twinkled above her. She closed her eyes and let her mind wander.

"Is the child asleep?"

Izayoi whirled around but only saw Kaede. "Oh, Kaede." She said pressing a hand to her chest. "You startled me." Kaede smiled and laid her hand on Izayoi's shoulder.

"What was it you wanted to talk about, child?" She asked, even though she knew. Izayoi walked closer to her.

"There's a story I heard about, when I was a little girl. Inuyasha heard from the children. It's about the hanyou." She pursed her lips. "I want to know the end." she said simply. She didn't voice the suspicion or her fears. She had spent time thinking about it, but she still wasn't sure if she was right, if Inuyasha was the one that it talked about.

She didn't want to know.

Kaede spoke carefully. " Ah. I have heard of that one. My sister Kikyo told me." Her gaze met Izayoi's. "But I don't know the end, either. No one does. " She turned to the door of her house "For now." She disappeared into the darkness before Izayoi could ask anything. She was left outside, alone with her thoughts. She gazed toward the heavens.

"Oh please, Kami. Protect my little boy," She pleaded. She turned and entered the house.

What she didn't know was that, she should have asked for herself as well.

They were coming.

**Please Review! This story is just getting started!!!!!!!!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or characters. I do own the prophecy mentioned throughout the chapters.**

"**..." Anything bold is Inuyasha's demon voice. **

**Chapter 3: The beginning of the End**

The next day, Inuyasha went missing. Izayoi came up to Kaede, hoping she would know where he had gone.

"Kaede? Have you seen Inuyasha?" Izayoi called to the old woman. Kaede glanced up from the herbs she was collecting.

"Inuyasha? No, child I have not." She stood straighter. "Ye haven't seen him?" She walked toward a now worried Izayoi.

"I haven't seen him since this morning. I'm getting worried." She wrung her hands in worry. She had searched everywhere for Inuyasha. He wasn't in the forest and he wasn't in the meadow. He wasn't even near the stream. She just prayed that he hadn't gone near the village. The sun was setting and he still wasn't anywhere.

"Don't worry, Izayoi. He must be near." Kaede reassured the young woman. She left to the forest to gather the rest of the herbs she needed. She came back when the sun had set.

"He's not back yet?" She asked Izayoi who had not moved from the spot Kaede had left her in. she shook her head. Kaede could only pat her arm as she entered her house.

She sat by the door of the house, waiting and praying.

"Oh, Kami. Please, protect my child!" She pleaded. By now it was dark and the stars had come out. They twinkled above Izayoi. Suddenly, she heard small child-like footsteps. She turned to the direction of the forest and saw Inuyasha.

"Mommy!" He cried, reaching for his mother. She grabbed him and lifted him in her arms, nuzzling his face.

"Inuyasha! Don't worry mommy like that, ok?" She exclaimed. Inuyasha just clung to his mother harder. He was sobbing. Izayoi started worry. What had made her child cry?

"Baby, what's wrong?" Izayoi's voice started to sound panicky.

"I-I went to the village mommy, and the mean man yelled at me." He cried harder. "Mommy, why was he so mean?" Izayoi patted her son's head. Even though the thought of someone seeing him sent panic down her spine, she didn't want to show it to Inuyasha.

"Don't worry, baby. Mommy will protect you." She entered the house. She was about to lay Inuyasha down, when she heard the shouts of men outside. She realized with terror why they were here.

They were going to kill them.

"Open up! We know you're in there! Just give us the hanyou and we'll leave you alone!" One of the men shouted. Izayoi peeked through the window. They had brought all the men form the village. They didn't stand a chance. She quickly woke up Kaede and explained the situation.

"What do ye propose to do, Izayoi?" Kaede asked. She didn't know if they could all hide.

"I'll stay here. You and Inuyasha have to go." Izayoi smiled sadly and closed her eyes. Kaede's eyes widened.

"No! Ye can't!" Izayoi stood and gave a crying Inuyasha to her. Kaede took Inuyasha gingerly in her arms.

"We don't have much time," She gave Kaede a sack of things that she had for such an emergency. Inuyasha reached for his mother.

"Mommy! Don't leave me!" Inuyasha cried. He didn't know what he would do without his mother. She touched his face gingerly.

"Inuyasha, I love you. Now listen to Kaede for me, okay baby?" She kissed him on the cheek and gazed into his blue red eyes. Even though he was still young, he knew what she meant. This was goodbye. He would never see her again.

"I love you mommy."

The banging on the door became more demanding. She had to get them out now. She hurried them to the back.

"Follow the river. I'm sure I saw an empty hut there somewhere." She pointed south, away from the village and rampaging men.

"Izayoi-"

"Kaede, thank you for everything you did for Inuyasha and me. I deeply appreciate it. All I ask of you now is to take Inuyasha into the woods and hide. Once they leave, run." With that, she disappeared back into the house.

Kaede hushed Inuyasha, who promptly ceased crying. She was careful to not trample any leaves to keep quiet. The made it to the forest without being seen, but they still had to wait. They watched from the shadows as Izayoi stepped outside. Inuyasha watched intently the image of his mother.

"I'm going to have ask you men to leave." Izayoi stood bravely in front of them. One of the men came closer.

"Get out the way! We let you live if you tell us where the old woman and the hanyou went." She stood as silent as a stone. "Not going to cooperate, eh?" The sound of a resounding slap sliced through the air. Inuyasha's ears flattened against his head. Izayoi fell back.

"I'm not going to tell you where they are! I don't care whether you kill me!" She defied the man, even haven been humbled by the slap. Suddenly, another man came out of the circle, a man that Izayoi recognized.

Her father.

She lay on the floor, struck dumb by the sudden appearance of her father. She was thrown back to the memory of telling him she was pregnant.

"_What? How could you?" He yelled. Her mother only sobbed. _

"_But father! You have to help me!" she pleaded, "They want to kill me and my baby!" _

_Her father only stared at her coldly._ _"You're better off dead."_

"So this is where you and your half-demon spawn have been hiding," He stared at her with the same cold eyes he had when she had left.

"Father!" she shouted, trying to catch his sympathy. He was the only one who could save them.

"Shut up. You are no daughter of mine," He took out his sword and held it above her.

She realized, with sudden horror, that he intended to kill her himself.

Inuyasha couldn't believe his eyes. The man who was going to kill his mother was her own father? His grandfather?

Izayoi's father lifted the sword. Izayoi gazed at him with an expression of hatred mixed with fear. He let the sword fall.

Izayoi's scream was loud enough to be heard in a half-mile radius. Inuyasha watched with horror on his face. The tears streamed down his cheek. Kaede couldn't watch anymore. She tried to pull Inuyasha, but he was glued to the edge of the forest. Hatred burned in his chest. He wanted to hurt the men who had killed his mother. He wanted them dead.

"**Then why don't you kill them?"**

Inuyasha turned, but didn't see anyone. He dismissed the voice as nothing. He was too transfixed by the scene in front of him.

"Take her body and throw it the river. She doesn't deserve a grave." Inuyasha wanted to leave. He couldn't bear to see or hear anymore. His mother was gone, but he would never forget her. Her love would be the lonely thing in his heart. Kaede took his hand.

"Come now, Inuyasha."

They left the part of the forest and ventured near the river, where Izayoi instructed them. Only Kami knew what would happen to them.

XXX

Kaede and Inuyasha stayed in the hut all night. Images of his now dead mother flashed through his mind. If only he had listened to her. If only he stayed home like she asked him to.

"If only…" he mumbled. His own grandfather killed his mother. He knew it was because of him. She was dead and there was no bringing her back. "I'm so sorry mommy." The rest of the night, he cried silently.

When morning came, he was alone. Panicking, he ran outside and found Kaede near the river. She was pulling out something. Inuyasha walked over, but stopped. It was his mother's body. He backed up slowly. He felt sick and in pain; an overwhelming feeling fell to the pit of his stomach.

"Go back inside Inuyasha." Kaede said without stopping from her task. "Ye should not see this."

Inuyasha was torn between what to do. He knew he should go over to see his mother one last time, but he did not want to see her torn up.

"Mommy," he mumbled. Sniffling, he walked over. His mother deserved a proper burial than floating down the river. "I'll help you Kaede. I'll dig a grave. Mommy needs to be buried near the river, she always at by it." Tears were now falling from his face, but he quickly wiped them away.

He ran off to find a proper location for her. Once he found it, he began digging using nothing but his little hands. He was angry all over again. The one woman that loved him with all her hurt was dead. Nothing was going to bring her back. His grandfather took her life.

"**He needs to die."**

It was that voice again. Inuyasha stopped and looked around. No one was there. He moved his ears around, trying to pick of sound, but heard nothing. He continued to dig.

The sun was slowly setting and Inuyasha was finally done. A rustle of leaves grabbed his attention. Climbing out of the whole, he saw Kaede approaching being pulled along and a bed of cloth.

"Are ye done Inuyasha?"

"Yes Kaede," he wiped the dirt from his brow and smiled a little. He helped Kaede place his mother in the grave. Picking flowers, he placed them over her folded hands and stepped away.

"Ye mother was a great woman. She cared for you deeply." Kaede placed a hand on his shoulder. "She loves you and will always watch over you."

Inuyasha pulled away and began filling the grave back with dirt. Kaede helped. They were down and headed back to their new home. Inuyasha looked back one last time. Things were going to change from then on.

And so began the dark voice of Inuyasha's soul emerging.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or characters. I do own the prophecy mentioned throughout the chapters.**

**This chapter was written by my co-writer: Daichilover!!!!!!!**

**A/N: Bold is Inuyasha's demon talking to him.**

**Chapter 4**

"Inuyasha, let's get moving." Kaede lifted up a big basket and nearly tumbled over. Inuyasha ran to help her and lifted up the basket with ease.

"I'll get it, Kaede."

Kaede smiled. Ever since he had lost his mother, Inuyasha seemed to have gotten closer to her. Maybe it was because he needed the maternal love he was now deprived of, and only Kaede would give it to him. After a few hours walking up the river, they were able to make it to their hut.

Kaede entered behind Inuyasha, who had left the basket filled with herbs near the front door. He stepped outside through the back, but Kaede was not worried. She knew where he was going. She gazed into the distance, watching his silver hair bounce away.

"Peace be with you, child"

XXX

Inuyasha was running now. He was running toward the only place he felt complete. Though it was a considerable distance, Inuyasha didn't mind the run. And he knew he wouldn't be found.

Soon he reached the edge of the river, where he had dug his own mother's grave. The ground had already begun to sprout grass, and one flower peeked between them.

It had been a while since he had come. He missed his mother so much.

"Mommy, I hope you're okay now."

The tears spilled and he was alone as he cried.

* * *

_**5 years later. . .**_

Inuyasha was climbing trees again. He liked the feeling of being above everyone else. The ten year old also liked to think he was closer to his mother. Since the day she died, Kaede and him had been moving everywhere. When the village they were currently living at knew who he was, they left before the angry mob came.

Five years of that really put his perspective of humans in shape.

He hated them all, only for the exceptions for his mother and Kaede. He hated human because they judged him and they took what was most precious to him. His mother.

Suddenly, a burning desire seared through him, filling him with rash anger.

He didn't know exactly what it was, only that he felt strange.

"**That's the desire, the want to kill."**

Inuyasha stood, frozen with the sound of the voice. It was the same one that he had heard the night his mother was killed. He had no idea who it was.

"**You don't need to know. Just know that I am always right beside you."**

Inuyasha shivered. He didn't like the sound of the voice and the comment only scared him. He scrambled down the tree, hoping to find Kaede.

She wasn't there yet, so the voice spoke to him again.

"**Have you given thought to what I told you?"**

Inuyasha whirled. "Go away and leave me alone!" He screamed into the darkness of the forest.

**"As you wish."**

He felt the presence leave, and he sighed in relief. But that didn't mean he didn't think about what he had said. He saw Kaede and the bags packed behind her. The village had found out so they were leaving.

The burning in him burned even hotter.

* * *

_**7 years later. . .**_

"Inuyasha! Where are ye?" Kaede cried, searching for the hanyou she had come to love as a son. She knew he had to be around somewhere.

"Keh. I'm right here."

He surprised her, by hanging down by his legs. She took a step back.

"Inuyasha, I told ye not to do that!" She clutched at her chest. Inuyasha smirked, but didn't respond. Instead, he lifted himself back up again to sit against his favorite tree.

"I'll be in the forest, gathering herbs, Inuyasha." She yelled to him, picking up her basket again. She turned to look at him one last time and started for the forest.

Inuyasha heard her, but remained silent. He knew she would go anyway. As he sat there, he couldn't help but think about certain things.

Tomorrow was his seventeenth birthday. It had been 12 years since his mother had been killed, 12 years since his life had gone spiraling down. Course, he liked Kaede and although he didn't show it, loved her as well. He hopped off the tree, and was about to go inside when he heard that voice.

"**Hello Inuyasha."**

Inuyasha whirled around, his claws bared for an attack. He didn't see anyone, but he knew he had heard that voice. It was the same voice he had heard the day his mother died, and that day he had felt the burning inside him. He sniffed the air, but he smelled nothing but his and Kaede's scent.

"**You aren't going to be able to smell me, you know."**

"Who the hell are you?" Inuyasha cried out, searching the top of the trees. If he was a mind demon, he'd be able to take him

"**You really are dense." **The voice taunted, annoyed.

"Shut the hell up and tell me who you are!"

"**Idiot. I'm your demon."**

Inuyasha did a double take. "My what?" He asked, unsure of what he had heard.

"**Did you not hear me? Are you deaf as well as stupid?"**

Inuyasha growled menacingly.

"**I am the demon inside you. I make up half of you. I am also trying to . . . . **_**help **_**you."**

Inuyasha stood straighter with this realization. That explained why he couldn't smell him at all. And why did his demon want to help him?

"**Because I know what desires lay in your heart."**

Inuyasha frowned. "What the hell? Are you reading my mind?"

"**I **_**am**_** in your mind, Idiot!"**

Inuyasha frowned even more. _Stupid demon_, he thought.

"**If I'm stupid, and I'm the demon, what does that make you?"**

"Shut up."

Inuyasha sat down on the ground, concentrating to hear or smell anyone else. He didn't want anyone to know he was talking to himself.

"**Inuyasha, you seem to have not been thinking about what I told you."**

"And what would that be?"

"**The desire to kill whom those who killed your mother."**

Inuyasha felt that strange burning again in his chest. He clutched at it, hoping to alleviate it.

"**You can't."**

Inuyasha struggled with himself but suddenly the feeling went away. He sighed in relief. The voice spoke to him again.

**"Tomorrow is your seventeenth birthday, isn't it?"** The voice asked, something about his tone implying something that Inuyasha didn't notice.

"Keh. What's it to you?"

The voice played innocent. **"Oh nothing, Inuyasha."**

Suddenly, Kaede's scent flooded his senses. He stood up and ran to her. She was dragging the basket, since it was full. She heard him come and smiled as he lifted up the basket.

"Old hag, you shouldn't be pushing yourself."

Kaede smiled. Though the prophecy was still intact, she hoped that he could change that, defy the fate that was given unto him at birth. She had hope for him.

"Kaede, can I ask you something?" He asked, turning to her. Kaede raised her eyebrows, astonished that he was asking her a question.

"Of course, Inuyasha."

He looked thoughtful for a second. "Kaede, I'm hearing a voice inside my head." He looked down. "It said it was my demon and it keeps bothering me, putting things in my head!"

Kaede was shocked to hear this. So the demon in Inuyasha wasn't going to give up his chance to destroy him? She wouldn't let that happen.

"Ignore it when it speaks to ye, Inuyasha. He will only destroy ye." Kaede locked eyes with him. Inuyasha nodded without saying anything and moved ahead to put the herbs away.

Kaede prayed nothing would happen tomorrow.

* * *

The next day, Inuyasha was on his own again in his tree. He had been remembering the last birthday he had with his mother. She had made a feast that night and read him stories just the way he liked it.

Today he didn't want to celebrate it. He had a feeling of dread fill within him.

Kaede had left to go buy some food at the village. She had kept the tradition of having a huge meal on his birthday. Inuyasha smiled. Kaede did love him a lot.

"**Inuyasha."**

Inuyasha closed his eyes, and tried to push away the voice. Ignore it, that's what Kaede had said.

**"Don't ignore me!"**

The longer he tried, the more the voice faded. It finally went away and Inuyasha was glad for it. He could tell Kaede and she would be proud of him.

Speaking of Kaede, he realized that she was late. Thinking she needed some help to carry all the bags, he went along the usual trail to find her.

But he didn't think he'd find her covered in her own blood.

Inuyasha stopped short, but then he ran. He ran with all his might to her, disregarding the sick smell of blood in the air.

She was still alive, but barely. She wouldn't make it.

"Kaede! Who did this to you?!"

"Inuyasha," She whispered, grasping his hand with her bloody one. "Do not despair, child. It had been my time to go for a while now." Tears streamed down both of their faces. Inuyasha couldn't believe what was happening.

"Inuyasha, someone robbed me. I'm sorry I wasn't able to make your dinner like ye mother used to." She had tried to fight the offenders, but they overpowered her with little effort.

"Kaede. . ." Inuyasha's tears were coming heavily. He had never cried before. The only time he did was when he was little and when his mother had been killed. It seemed unfair that the world was taking Kaede now too.

He would find those bastards who did it. And they would pay with their lives.

"Take care, Inuyasha. I hope for a bright future for you. Don't let the demon in you win. You will make it. I love you. Please be strong." With that, she took her last breath and moved no more. Inuyasha held her lifeless body and anger began to swell inside his heart.

"**Do it. Do what you've been longing to do since the day your mother died."**

This time he didn't ignore the voice. First he laid Kaede in the forest, on top of a bed of leaves. He would bury her later. Now he would look for the bastards that killed her. He climbed the tree and began to jump from one to another. He soon came to find two men.

"Ha! Do you see the load of food we got!" The first man exclaimed. "We'll eat like kings tonight!" The other one laughed as he got some bread.

"Yeah, the old lady would have never been able to finish this. We did her a favor!" He laughed as both men began to eat.

Inuyasha was disgusted. These men had only killed, minutes ago and now they were stuffing their faces with stolen food?!

"**Kill them Inuyasha. They killed Kaede. You're alone now and all you have left is me. No one will ever love you."**

Inuyasha crouched, ready to pounce, but suddenly he felt that he couldn't.

"**Damn you human heart! Kill them! It's an eye for an eye!"**

He didn't need to be told anymore. He pounced and the screams of the men were drowned out with the silence of their deaths. Inuyasha cracked his bloody fingers, smiling. But then he remembered that he was alone and killing these men wouldn't bring Kaede back. Nothing would ever bring her back.

"**That's right Inuyasha. You're alone now. No one wants you so why be here?" The voice questioned, already knowing the answer. "Now yield yourself to me, let me take away the pain you feel. You won't have to suffer anymore."**

Inuyasha felt something in his heart. He felt the darkness creep in. He didn't know what to do and the worst thing about it?

He didn't want to stop it. He let the demon rise within him. Withdrawing inside his self, the chains pulled him into the darkness. Bound, he was no longer in control.

"**Good, Inuyasha. You will soon be able to avenge against the humans you so despise. We will become invincible!"**

And so the reign of darkness that was to befall the world had begun.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or characters. I do own the prophecy mentioned throughout the chapters and Inuyasha's grandfather Tatsuo: Dragon Man and Inuyasha's demon name Nozomu: Desire.**

**A/N: Bold is Inuyasha's demon talking. **_Italics is another voice inside Inuyasha's head._

**Chapter 5**

Inuyasha woke to the scent of death and blood. His head throbbed in pain as he tried to get his head straight. When the world finally stopped spinning, he looked around. He stared at the destruction he knew he caused. Blood was everywhere. It coved the grass and tree bark. What was left of his enemies was just scattered flesh mixed with the earth.

Inuyasha stood on shaking legs. He backed up slowly. "D-did I do this?" he said out loud.

"**Of course. We did it. We got revenge." **His demon said laughing. **"Are you proud of the lovely work I did? I thought about being more merciful, but I couldn't control myself."**

"No."

"**I'm afraid so."**

"NO!" Inuyasha shook. Yes he hated those men for taking something precious from him, but death was not the answer. He could not believe he killed them. He could not believe that he allowed his demon to come out.

"**But you did Inuyasha and you know you enjoyed it."** He ran and ran and ran. He continued to run until is feet gave out and he crumbled to the ground. It was all too much for him to take that he lost it. He emptied the contents of his stomach. He heaved until nothing else came up. Inuyasha fell back breathing heavy.

For now his demon was silent. The sound of running water caught his attention. He dragged his self over the stream and got a good look at himself. There was blood on his face, hands, and clothes. His eyes here wide and his hair was untamed and marked with blood as well. Scooping water in his hands, he struggled to get the blood off. He scrubbed his face and hands until they were red.

There was no going back. He killed the man in rage. He let his demon take over and destroyed their lives. Inuyasha couldn't understand why he felt bad. He should have felt satisfied, but all he felt was emptiness. There was nothing left for him in the world. The two people he loved were gone. No one would love a worthless half-breed.

With nowhere to go, Inuyasha just sat by the river. He had no energy to move. He just sat and waited for nothing. Thoughts of suicide came to mind. To be with his mother was all he wanted.

Inuyasha heard a noise coming from behind him. Hooves were beating the earth and drawing closer and closer. He smiled slowly; it seemed his prayer was being answered. As the noise drew closer, the scents of multiply men came by. But it was not the scents, but a particular scent that had Inuyasha up and turned in the direction it was coming from.

"It can't be." he said staring. Over the clearing he spotted the one person never thought to see again, his grandfather.

Inuyasha stood there and waited. His grandfather, Tatsuo, was on horseback along with twelve other men. Images of his once alive mother flash through his mind. It was hard to believe that she was killed by her own father.

Tatsuo stopped his men a few feet away from where Inuyasha was standing. He dismounted his horse and drew his sword, pointing it to towards Inuyasha. "At last, I have finally found you half-demon." Inuyasha remained quiet. Minutes passed before Tatsuo spoke again. "Get him." He told his men.

Inuyasha surrendered immediately. He did not even put up a fight. Tatsuo's men tied his hands and feet in rope, Inuyasha could have easily escaped from, and forced him to the ground. Of course there was the occasional kicking and spitting on him. He was unmoved and just stared at Tatsuo.

"What are you staring at half-demon?" Tatsuo stood directly in front of Inuyasha who did not respond and continued to stare up at him. Tatsuo took the hilt of his sword and slammed into Inuyasha's stomach. He doubled over in pain.

"Why?" Inuyasha said between breaths. "Why did you kill my mother? She did nothing to you."

"Nothing? She ruined the family name by sleeping with that demon and getting pregnant with you!"

The rage Inuyasha tried to keep down slowly began to surface. "She left! YOU HUNTED HER DOWN AND KILLED HER! YOUR OWN DAUGHTER!" he launched himself at Tatsuo, but his guards held him back.

"Not anymore. Now I will finish what I started years ago. It is time for you to die half-breed." Tatsuo drew his sword.

'Finally, peace.' Inuyasha thought as he watched.

"**NO! I WILL NOT DIE!"**

'Yes.'

"**I DO NOT WANT TO DIE!"** His demon howled and tried to take over.

'You will not take over!"

"_I can give you the freedom you wish for." _Inuyasha looked around him, but only found the Tatsuo and his men standing before you.

"_We can rule the world together."_

'No!'

"**YES. Rid me of this weak half of mine."**

'NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!' But it was done. Inuyasha faded inside his self until he was nothing more than an echo of what was.

"Any last words half-breed." Tatsuo placed his sword along Inuyasha's bent head.

Slowly, his head rose. The once amber and calm eyes were now red and wild. A purple streak marked each side of his check. His body shook as he laughed. "DIE!" Breaking his bonds, the demon charged and the voices of dying men echoed the throughout the valley.

**XXX**

Breathing hard, Inuyasha's demon marveled at his work. Pieces of bone and flesh painted on the landscape. Blood poured into the river turning it light pink. The head of Tatsuo floated along the stream. The mouth hung open and eyes wide, his last expression.

A noise came from nearby and he turned around to see how could be approaching. A shadowed figure cloaked in a baboon fur.

"What wonderful work you did my friend." The hooded figure said and he paused a few feet from the demon.

"Are you the one who set me free?"

"Yes I am. An excellent decision on my part. Inuyasha, I can see us ruling together. Every last human and demon recoiling in fear just hearing our names."

"Never say that name around me." He spat in distaste. "Inuyasha is no longer here."

"What shall you be called?"

"Nozomu," he said with a grin. "ruler of all the lands."

"Yes my lord."

"What is your name?"

The cloaked figure pulled down his hood. His black eyes filled with mischief and death. "I am called Naraku."

**Review! Things are finally heating up!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or characters. I do own the prophecy mentioned throughout the chapters and Inuyasha's grandfather Tatsuo: Dragon Man and Inuyasha's demon name Nozomu: Desire.**

**Chapter 6**

"Kagome, where are you?" Sango called out, running through the streets of her town. Curfew was near and if they were caught outside, they would be punished. She had to find her friend before anything like that could happen. She found Kagome outside in one of the city gardens, just sitting down and staring at the flowers like she always did.

"Kagome!"

She lifted her head, train of thought disrupted by the sound of her friend's annoyed tone of voice. She stood up, wringing her hands, anxious all of a sudden.

"What?"

Sango rushed to Kagome and pulled her from her wrist. "Kagome, it's almost curfew! We have to go now." Kagome let her friend pull her passed the courtyard and down two streets. As they were about to enter their home, Kagome stopped.

"Sango, why do we have to live like this?"

Sango turned, surprised at being asked that question. She didn't have a good answer, so she didn't reply.

Kagome knew Sango would not answer her, but all the same she needed to say it out loud to someone, even if it was without an answer. She followed Sango, just as she unlatched the wooden door of where she and others lived. She left immediately to her room, closed the door and locked it. Her bed was not made, but she didn't care. Her room was small and cramped, but at least it was her own. Kagome lay on the bed and crossed her arms under her head, closing her eyes and began to think again.

The reason she had been at the garden was simple; she missed the flowers from her home. She left it when she had only been ten years old. The garden reminded her of peaceful, simpler times.

Years ago, when the Great War began and the new tyrannical king came into power, her family had fled the city, in search for a new and safer place to live in. They had thought that maybe they could outrun the massacres occurring left and right. It was a violent and bloody time. They had finally settled in one place, and for a time they thought they were safe.

But the influence of the king was everywhere; It was rumored he had someone in the shadows, someone who knew information and helped him conquer new land. He was blood-thirsty and a monster or, at least that's how Kagome had been taught.

Then one day, on the day of her birthday, something terrible occurred. Without warning, King Nozomu's soldiers had destroyed the barrier the local priestess had put up and entered the city with the angel of death on their heels. They tore through, killing anyone who dared to stand up to them, or those who had tried to run away, killing women, children, and the elderly without mercy.

Her mother had grabbed Kagome and her brother; Grandpa told them to flee while he tried to fight off the demons. She did, but they were ambushed by another group of soldiers as they tried to get to the forest. They split up, trying to get to safety. Her mother stood back to give them more time and Kagome remembered the horror of seeing her mother die in front of her.

Her brother had been caught, but she never found out if he had died or not. Kagome was able to get away, but she still lived with the hope that her brother might be alive in some distant remote land. That was why she had decided to travel. After a while, she couldn't take it anymore, and she found this place. It has a safe haven for anyone who had been dislocated by the war. Although they were handmaids, it was better than nothing.

Sango and Kagome were almost joined at the hip the moment they saw each other. She was Kagome's best friend and her only confident. The only thing Sango didn't know was her past. She wasn't going to discuss it either.

Kagome closed her eyes, trying to remember something from her mother. But after so many years, even her smile had faded from her memories.

**XXX**

"Kagome, wake up."

Kagome opened her eyes to see Sango. How had she gotten in? And when had she fallen asleep? As if Sango could read her mind, she held up a pair of keys.

"You fell asleep again and missed dinner. I brought some leftovers for you." She moved and pointed to a small tray. The bowl had some soup and there was a piece of bread at the side to eat with it. There was also a bright orange sitting there. Sango walked to it. "I know it's not a lot, but I brought as much as I could sneak out." She turned to Kagome. "I told the boarding lady that you had a cold and that's why you hadn't come. It got you out of chores today too."

Kagome sat up and gave Sango a small hug. She was always looking after her. "Thanks, Sango. I owe you a lot."

Sango laughed and Kagome's arms fell to her side. "You're my friend. Why wouldn't I help you?"

Kagome smiled. "Don't know. You tell me."

Sango stood and walked to the door, grabbing the doorknob. "You're like a sister to me. You're the only thing close to family that I got."

With that, Sango quickly left the room. The door thudded softly as it closed and Kagome sighed. Sango was so good to her, but Kagome never seemed to be able to pay back all of her generosity. She got up and walked toward the open space in the wall. It was covered in curtains, and so Kagome pulled them back.

She sighed as she watched the sunset's radiant colors bounce off the natural green of the earth. She longed to go back in time, to be young again and not worry for her safety and life. She itched to jump out and run away. Though she was safe here, she wasn't content with the life she had been dealt with. Her situation was short of slavery. The only difference was that they were treated with a little more decency.

No one will notice if I'm gone, Kagome thought. Sango already gave me an alibi. Why shouldn't I take the opportunity? And with that reasoning, Kagome stuck out her head out of the make-shift window. She glanced left and right to see if any guards were out. It was curfew, so she had to be careful. Kagome lifted one leg over and then the other, and soon she was free.

Giggles spouted from her mouth and Kagome couldn't remember a time she had been so care-free. She ran up the hill away from the place she lived in and reached the top. Once there, she breathed in the fresh air, marveling at its calming scent and gazing up at the first stars of the night.

The hill was high, so she could see nearly the whole village. She spread her arms wide and let the breeze play with her hair as she stood and observed the tiny little village at her feet. Sitting down, he watched the town slowly put out their candles for bed. Though only the hill separated them, Kagome and the others weren't allowed to step foot in the village, only if were for an errand or something as such. Handmaids like her weren't very well looked upon, as they were low on the social pyramid. Many people avoided them when they saw their tattered clothes, a sign of being a refugee.

Kagome laid back as the sun finally disappeared, maybe to some other part of the world. She lay there gazing at the stars and the patterns they made. She remembered that her mother had taught them some of the constellations, but the only constellations she remembered were Pegasus and the Lion. She smiled and let her hand fall to the side. Euphoria filled her; she hadn't been this free since the day she lost it all.

She lost it all to one horrible, evil man. A man whose greed for power caused him to murder thousands for the simple fact of owning more land than any other King had done in the past. The rumors that talked about him were very far-ranged. From the snippets she had been able to hear while serving the lords and ladies she was assigned to, King Nozomu was a ruthless and merciless king. Rebellions that had tried to overthrow him were cut down and each person was hanged or slaughtered in battle. They said he had red and blue eyes, the eyes of a demon. Kagome had shuttered to think that this is what a person was up against if they could finally defeat him.

_It's getting late_, **s**he thought. _I should go back before Sango gets in trouble_. Kagome inwardly groaned at having to go back. She stood up and glanced at the village once more, but then something in the distance caught her eye.

Fire. Torches that were lit with fire littered the surrounding fields of the village. Kagome glanced to the Tower Watchman, whose job was to sit on a tower the village had built to search for any danger. The man saw the torches as well, but as he was about to sound the alarm, an arrow whistled through the air and hit him square in the neck.

Kagome's blood froze. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, and she was stiff. She knew what this meant, for she had seen it before. She glanced with horror at the multitude of men coming toward the village fast. She couldn't find any words to describe her fear.

_Not this again, __**NO!**_

Kagome's muscles moved and quicker than a bolt of lightning, she ran down the hill. She slipped a couple of times, getting green stains about her tattered and already brown-speckled dress. She ran as fast as she could to the front gate, where the house guards stopped her.

"Hey, you! What are you doing out of your bedchamber? It's past curfew!" The first guard roared, seizing Kagome from her arm. Kagome tried to get past him, but he wouldn't let her.

"The Nobles," She panted, exhausted from her run, "I have to warn the Nobles."

The second guard scratched his head. "For what?"

"King Nozomu's army is at our door! I've seen them over the hill!"

The first guard rumbled with laughter. "Sure you did. You're funny and all, but you still have to face the consequences of being out at curfew." A funny expression that Kagome didn't like crept onto his face. He pulled her closer, so close that now she could smell his horrid breath. "There are different ways to make up for it, girly."

The second guard, who was a little more decent then the first, grabbed his shoulder. "Takeshi, do you really want to get in trouble again? I say we just give her the fifty lashes and be done with it. You don't want another bastard in your hands."

Kagome's jaw dropped at the conversation. Fifty lashes? Bastards? What had this man done? There was no time to dwell on it, so she took the man's hesitation and hurried into the house. She ignored the shouts and calls from others and barged into the head Noble's room. Fortunately for her, the head noble was a woman and she was reading. Lady Midoriko was kinder than most Ladies of her prestige, so she held her hand up at the guards and nodded to Kagome.

"What is your petition today, Kagome?"

Kagome bowed hurriedly. "I was out on the hill, after sunset, and I beheld a mass of torches. I have been through King Nozomu's soldiers and I'm afraid to say that those are his soldiers."

Lady Midoriko's expression turned to worry. "And the watchman?"

Kagome gulped. "Killed, milady."

Lady Midoriko nodded, and then turned to her guard. "Send out a warning to the village." She stood up and walked to the closet door, where her coat was hanging. She grabbed it and donned it hurriedly.

Kagome was confused at first. "Milady, where are you going?"

Lady Midoriko turned to her. "Well, to fight of course. I'm not going down without fighting back."

"But how?"

Lady Midoriko smiled at her, laying a hand on her shoulder. "There are times when everyone, regardless who they are, must fight for what they believe in. I have spiritual power that I use on rare occasions like this," Suddenly, her eyes were wet and Kagome realized she was crying. "I'm afraid this is the last time we'll ever see each other." Then she bent down to give Kagome a farewell kiss on the cheek. Kagome was surprised at what she did; it was a sign of equality.

Lady Midoriko smiled and turned away. As she neared the door, she called out to her. "Make sure the other handmaids get to safety as well. My soul would not rest if they didn't."

The guards left right after their mistress, and Kagome followed them as well. She needed to get to the others quickly. She ran to the servant's quarters and banged on all the doors.

"Everyone, get out! King Nozomu's army is in the village!"

It only took a minute or two to get everyone out. Many were confused and didn't know where to go. Others wanted to stay and fight, to avenge lost loved ones. Sango caught Kagome as she tried to calm down the jumpy crowd.

"Kagome, what's going on?"

Kagome found a chair and stepped onto it. "I'm about to explain." She let out a loud whistle to get everyone's attention. Suddenly, all eyes were on her. She cleared her throat and began to speak.

"King Nozomu's army is here. Our Lady Midoriko has gone to join the fight against the army. She asks us to leave and find refuge past the forest." The last part was a lie. Kagome figured that the army wouldn't past the forest, since legends said there were fabled beasts, though Kagome knew them to be untrue.

"But what about our things?"

"We're running like cowards! We should stay and fight with our Lady!"

"The forest is too dangerous!"

Kagome could hear these shouts around the whole room and once again called their attention. The shouting stopped but the women were anxious and were ready to leave.

Kagome knew that not all of them would make it. To give everyone a good chance to get somewhere though, she needed to separate them in groups. The more groups the better.

"Make groups of four with people you know and trust. We will have to run to the forest. For those who want to stay and fight, I won't hold you back." She glanced at Sango. "Let's move."

Kagome's group consisted of Sango, her friend Ayame and a smaller orphan child named Rin. She was young, but she loved her like a sister.

"Where do we go, Kagome?" Ayame asked, her green eyes flashing with worry. Kagome grabbed Rin, picking her up.

"We've got to get to the forest. That's our best bet."

She led them out of the building, holding their hands so they wouldn't get separated. People were pouring out the door, and since everyone was trying to get out at the same time, no one was getting anywhere.

"I'm scared," Rin whispered into Kagome's shoulder, her arms locking even more around her neck. Kagome closed her eyes. This little girl didn't do anything to deserve to live through this.

"It's okay, Rin. You'll be okay."

And she would be, even if she had to give her own life for it.

Finally, they were able to get out. Sango followed right behind Kagome. The girl named Ayame hesitated for a minute.

"What's wrong?" Sango called to out to her.

Ayame pointed over the hill. "They're coming."

Kagome's eyes widened as they locked on the hill. The soldiers had been able to get past the village and they were making their way over. What stopped Kagome's heart was who was leading them.

King Nozomu himself was seated upon his war horse. Kagome glanced at his eyes and was shocked to find that the blue irises locked on her.

He smirked and cried his command that signaled rampage.

Kagome started to run, pulling the other girls. "RUN!"

There was chaos everywhere. People ran to save their own skins and started to push everyone else out of their way. Arrows were being shot into the crowd, and many fell. Kagome could only think of getting her friends out of danger. They had to get to the forest edge.

They ran as fast as they could and though many more people fell dead at their feet, the four girls seemed to be protected by some invisible force. They had made it to the edge when a group of soldiers caught them.

Sango was caught first and then the others were too. Kagome was being held back and was reduced to stay there. Tears were in her eyes as the man who held Sango raised his sword above her head.

NO!

Miraculously, Kagome pulled herself free and ran to her friend. The others were still being held and not killed.

Kagome ran in front of Sango and turned her head away as the sword came down. Sango let out a scream.

**XXX**

Kagome felt nothing as she opened to her eyes. Had she already died? She lifted up her head to see the man's face, which was now frozen and watched him fall, another sword sticking out from his gut.

"Too easy."

King Nozomu pulled his sword out from the man's back and sheathed it. His eyes locked on Kagome and he gave her a sickening smirk. She wanted to run, to hit him or do something, but she was frozen in place.

King Nozomu gaze turned to something different and Kagome didn't know what to make of it. He pointed his sheathed sword at her.

"You're coming with me."

Kagome jaw dropped, but somehow she found courage to say, "No!"

King Nozomu whirled around. "What did you say?"

Kagome's heart was beating fast and her breaths were shallow. Her mouth opened and then shut. She had to muster all of her courage.

"No."

King Nozomu laughed. "I don't think you're in a position to say no. I want you, so you're coming with me." He grabbed her arm and pulled her roughly.

Anger raged inside Kagome's body. The man who took everything she cherished away from her was trying to give up the last thing she had—her freedom. She pulled back and her expression turned murderous.

"Why should I? I don't owe anything to you. You ruined my life." She accused him, jabbing a finger at him. King Nozomu's gaze hardened.

"And why would I care about your pathetic little life? I could kill you right now."

Kagome slowly calmed down as she realized that he could. One wrong move and she was dead. The object of her life was to stay alive for her brother and if she tried to fight back, she wouldn't be able to do that.

There were other people too. How could she leave Sango, her best friend, live with the memory of her death? How could she leave little Rin, who couldn't do much and was too young to grasp the whole situation? Or Ayame, who had grown on her? No, she couldn't die just yet. She needed to live for these people. If she had to lose her freedom, then she would sell it wisely.

"I'll go on one condition." She whispered.

Nozomu right about laughed, but something was pushing him to listen to the girl. He looked at her dead in the eyes.

"Speak, then."

Kagome stood up straighter. "Let my friends come with me."

Kagome was sure she was going to be shot down, but somehow, King Nozomu didn't say a thing. Instead he just turned around and signaled to his soldiers to let go of her friends. Though the place was still in the heat of death, Kagome didn't see a single facial expression on his face. Kagome was horrified at the screams and she knew the others were too. Rin now clung to Sango, sobbing. Kagome wished she could have saved everyone, but she knew he wouldn't allow it.

Nozomu didn't know why he accepted the girl's condition. Yes, he wanted her, but he had wanted many women before. Why was she different? Maybe it was the way she defied him. He had hardly met a person who defied him. Most begged at his feet to spare them, but now this girl. She knew she could have died, but she stood her ground. Maybe she would prove to him an asset. _She would make a good bitch to breed with_. He though

"You're going to take a carriage from the village. If my soldiers ask anything, show them this." He took off a gold necklace that was engraved with his sign. He tossed it to her and she caught it with one hand. He turned his back on her and mounted his horse. "We leave in ten minutes. Be ready." His horse then turned and left the girls standing there.

Sango was the first to speak. "Oh, Kagome, you would give your life for me?" Tears sparkled in her eyes as Kagome glanced back at her.

Kagome smiled. "We're even now."

Sango couldn't help but laugh, and she readjusted Rin over her shoulder. She had fallen asleep. Ayame then grabbed Kagome's hand. "Thank you for saving us, Kagome. If you hadn't, we wouldn't be here right now."

Kagome squeezed her hand and only smiled. She did not want to think about what might have happened if she hadn't thought to ask for them. The past was the past and you couldn't change it. Her freedom might have been taken away, but she had traded it so that others could live. She turned and she knew the only thing she could do was move forward.

But that was the thing that most scared her.

**Please Review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: There is a semi-rape scene.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or characters. I do own the prophecy mentioned throughout the chapters. Inuyasha's demon name Nozomu: Desire. **

**This story is written by Daichilover and I.**

**Chapter 7**

Kagome and the girls hurried and gathered at the carriage. They were then escorted by three of King Nozomu's guards. Kagome watched in horror the destruction occurring all around her. Many of the villagers tried to escape, but were quickly cut down by the soldiers. Some fought back, because escape was futile in the chaotic bloodshed. In the distance, Kagome saw the brief outline of Lady Midoriko's figure. Bow and arrow in hand, she pierced the hearts of the surrounding soldiers around her. Instead of trying to kill her, the soldiers focused on capturing her. Kagome was puzzled as to what the reason could be.

"Keep it moving!"

A harsh push brought her back from her dazed gaze. Ayame grasped Sango's and Kagome's hand tightly. They were all afraid of separating. The guard grunted and pushed them again. "Get in."

Kagome waited until Sango, Ayame, and Rin were safely inside before climbing in herself. The carriage pushed off immediately with a jolt. She refused to look at the slaughter that was happening outside the carriage door. Instead, she focused on the howls of the dying, engraving it in her mind so she could always remember the terror Nozomu brought in his wake. For now, she concentrated on keeping her new family alive.

"Kagome, what do you think will happen to us?" Ayame whispered, terror lining her voice. "Do you think he'll separate us?"

"I won't allow it." She asserted, reassuring Ayame. After a moment, Kagome decided to tell them what could happen to them. "We might have to work, clean and cook."

"What about Rin? She's too small to do anything."

Kagome glanced at the little girl that was clutching to her. "We'll protect her. Nothing will come between us." Her voice was full of conviction. She wanted to be strong. Showing fear would only hinder them.

Away from the war zone, Kagome looked out the window. Stretching for miles was nothing but forest and desolated land. Their future gone, their once secured home, demolished. Nothing remained, but to be enslaved by the King. There was only a small hope that Kagome counted on and that was her brother. Although she was being enslaved, her brother could be at the same location they were headed to. It was a slight chance, but the possibility still remained. Her eyelids drooped as she watched the fire dance from the horizon. Then it was suddenly all dark.

A violent halt of the carriage woke the girls up. Kagome struggled to get her bearings.

"Kagome,"

She turned to see Rin terrified and shaking.

"It's okay Rin." She soothed her. Kagome looked around alarmed. The sun was high in the sky. She could not believe that she had fallen asleep.

With wide eyes, Sango pointed. "Kagome, look out the window."

Kagome glanced outside and gasped. The carriage had stopped in the middle of a village. People where lined up around, all eyes on the carriage. As she looked on, King Nozomu passed them on his course. Everyone began bowing down on their hands and knees. Their heads plastered to the ground, shaking with fear. Nozomu paid no mind to them and instructed the driver to continue on to the castle. She heard pieces of what was said.

"Take these girls and have Junko clean them up…put her in my room." Fear clawed at Kagome's skin. She was scared. Who did he want? Deep down, she knew it was her.

_Am I prepared to give up everything?_ The carriage moved on and Kagome gazed at the village that had quaked at the King's mere presence.

She had heard rumors that many villagers believed that Nozomu was an excellent leader. Those who did not want to oppose him moved closer to the kingdom and showed their support for the new ruler. In order to stay alive, the rich paid for Nozomu whatever he demanded. Often, many girls were being sold into slavery to keep up with demand. Kagome took a deep breath and sat up straight, trying to look as dignified as she could. She would not let Nozomu break her.

**XXX**

King Nozomu watched the carriage travel on. After searching for years, he finally found her, Midoriko. She had put up a bigger fight than he had expected, but now it was over. He smiled darkly. Things where finally going according to his plan. As a bonus, he found a beauty; just thinking about her sent spasms through his body.

_I will have my fun with her. _

But first, he had to secure his prisoner and meet with Naraku. Nozomu arrived at the castle and went straight to his office, where Naraku patiently waited for him.

Standing, Naraku bowed and addressed him. "Good evening Nozomu, success at your raid, I see."

"Of course," Nozomu took a seat followed by Naraku. "My raids are always a success." A smile slowly crept onto his face. "Your location for the miko was correct this time. I finally captured her."

"Excellent," Naraku grinned. "At last we can move forward."

Nozomu glanced outside the window from where he could see Midoriko being dragged away. "Are you sure she knows the location of the Shikon no Tama?"

Naraku strode to stand next to Nozomu. "I'm positive. She comes from a long line of powerful mikos who have protected the jewel for thousands of years. Being the only living one left, she must know."

Over the years Nozomu and Naraku had traveled through the lands in search of the protector of the Shikon no Tama. Going through the lineage, they killed those who refused to speak and those who were no longer useful and held no information. Naraku then gave him a side-glance. "I see you brought some gems as well."

Nozomu grinned. "I need to be entertained. A king can be entertained, can't he?" He then grew serious. "Get Midoriko talking. The sooner we obtain the jewel the better."

"Of course," Naraku bowed and left the room.

Nozomu's thoughts drifted to the girl. He cursed his human side. Although Naraku gave him full control of the body, his human side still existed. The Shikon no Tama would grant him the power to permanently get rid of his weak half. He would suffer no more.

"Now to have some fun." Leaving his office, Nozomu made his way to his bedchamber.

**XXX**

Kagome was shoved into a dark room, getting separated from the rest of the group. She got up and ran to the door, pounding.

"Open up! Where are my friends?" She banged and shouted but received no answer.

Taking a deep breath, she slid to the floor. She knew this was coming, but what was she to do? _Am I suppose to let him hurt me? If I resist, he's going to hurt the others._ Tears formed; to give up was to submit to the end. Kagome was not ready to give in. Wiping her eyes, she looked around the room. A king size bed rested in the center of the room with red satin sheets and over-stuffed pillows lined with gold. She spotted a window on the far end and went to it. Pushing the curtains aside, she noticed the window was locked from the outside.

Not giving up, she looked in the wardrobe and under the bed, but found nothing she could use to defend herself. Sighing, she sat on the bed. _Looks like I will have to defend myself the old fashion way._ She smiled sadly as she considered her options. _I hope the others will be treated better than me, at least. If I die I hope-_

"I see you made yourself comfortable."

Kagome jumped off the bed and took a defensive position, ready to hit with all she had. Nozomu leaned against the door. "Do you really think you can defeat me?"

"I'm willing to give it my all, even if it means my death."

In a blink of an eye, Kagome found herself faced down against the bed. Her hands were pinned behind her back.

"Let go!"

"I don't think so."

He licked the side of her face and moaned. "You taste so good; so pure." He flipped her over straddling her waist and putting her arms above her head. Kagome bucked against him, wiggling franticly. That only provoked Nozomu. Taking one hand, he caressed her stomach and moving up to her breast.

"So soft." He smirked looking her in the eyes. She spit in his face. "You fucking BITCH!" He back-handed her. "You're going to pay for that."

Going to her top, he used his free hand to rip it open.

"STOP!" she sobbed, but Nozomu ignored her. He grabbed her breast roughly and forced his lips on hers. Kagome tried to turn her head away, but it was futile. Finally he pulled away and she cried, sobbing harder. This was the end. He was too strong. She stared at him, and for a split second, she saw a flash of gold in the cold blue red eyes of his.

Nozomu struggled to gain control. Inuyasha was trying to surface and was winning.

"Guards!"

Two guards entered the room and Nozomu flung Kagome in their direction. "Take her to the others." He commanded without looking.

"Yes sir." They each grabbed to an arm and escorted her out. Taking her down the hall, down several flights of steps, they made it to the basement and tossed her in, locking the door behind her.

"Kagome!" Sango cried out, running over to the broken girl. She grabbed a blanket and covered her while Kagome cried onto her lap.

**Things of finally getting started. Review for us please!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/n: Ok here's the next chapter. Sorry rockerchick16 and I were out for a while. We just hope that you continue reading and supporting this story as well as our original ones. Please enjoy and review!**

**Rockerchick16: Yes we are so sorry! Please don't leave us; we love you all so much!**

**Disclaimer: We own nothing, nothing at all. So please put the phone down and don't call the lawyers.**

**Chapter 8: Secret Keeper**

Nozomu pressed himself against the door, the wench that had almost cost him his power. Why the hell did Inuyasha start fighting back? As far as Nozomu knew, he didn't fight back. Not since he had let him take over. Out of anger and frustration he hit the wall with his fist, making a dent.

He didn't understand why a girl like her would have mattered. He'd done it plenty of times to other woman, and not once had Inuyasha tried to make an appearance. What type of girl was she that she could bring what he most wanted to get rid of to the surface? There was also the fact that she had stood up to him. Who did that nowadays? Only people who wanted to die a painful death.

He growled as he glanced in the mirror. The best way to solve the problem was to eliminate it. He would get the information out of Midoriko even if it killed him. He would not let himself have a liability.

Never.

**XXX**

"Kagome, did he hurt you?" Sango practically yelled. Poor Kagome was still crying and there seemed no end to it. If only she would have been able to protect herself, Kagome wouldn't be like this. It was her fault because Kagome had given up her freedom for her, to save her. Sango could not contain the tears herself and let them fall. She glanced at Ayame and Rin, sleeping in the corner, clutching to each other as if for dear life.

"I'm … okay …Sango." Kagome sat up slowly, each word punctuated with a breath. She had to stop this. She had to stop being weak. She was the only one who could do it. No matter what happened, for the sake of her friends and herself, she had to be strong. She glanced up to see Sango crying, and Kagome felt a wave of guilt wash over her.

"Kagome…I'm so sorry."

Kagome shook her head and grabbed Sango's hand. "No, I don't regret giving up freedom for you or anyone else. All I want you to do is to concentrate on surviving, ok? Promise me." All Sango could do was nod. She had such a caring friend and she wanted to help her as much as she could.

Kagome sighed and sat down, trying to figure out what the flash of gold that had flitted into Nozomu's eyes for just a second. She was sure she had seen it. His eyes were too striking to not notice the difference. She also needed to figure out a strategy to keep her friends safe without making herself available for Nozomu's twisted desires. The longer she stalled, the longer her friends lived. She had to keep the advantage or else she'd lose the upper-hand.

She sighed. Maybe this was a lot harder than she had originally thought.

**XXX**

"Clean this!"

"Dust that!"

"Throw this away!"

It had been nothing more than orders all day. Kagome was in a plain dress that stifled her, but it was better than the rags given to her as a handmaid. She hadn't had a moment to rest all day, but she was grateful for that. At least this way, she wouldn't be in one place waiting for Nozomu to grab her again. She wouldn't let him next time.

"Sango, I think the head maid is calling you." Kagome nudged Sango, and she quickly left her post. Kagome readjusted the pile of laundry in her arms so that they wouldn't fall and to see Sango clearly. Kagome didn't know why but Sango was a lot more quiet than normal. She chalked up to the fact that they had just lost their home again, but deep down, Kagome knew it was because of what had happened to her. She wished she had been so weak.

"Why is such a charming young woman looking so down?"

Kagome whirled at the voice only to find a young man around her age smiling back at her. "Who are you?" She questioned.

The young man said "My name is Miroku, head of the workers here." he smiled again. "You and your friend seem to be new here. I wanted speak with the both of you."

Kagome wanted to doubt his story, but as she looked at him, she realized that he _was_ better dressed than most working men she had seen. She had no alternative but to believe him. Kagome waited until Sango was done before calling her and she noticed Sango's reaction upon seeing the young man. Kagome had to bite her tongue as to not laugh at Sango's red face.

Miroku, as the young man was called, spoke. "I am glad to see you two are working hard. We need the help." His eyes lingered on Sango for a bit longer than Kagome would have liked, but she quickly took her attention away.

"We are glad to be in service of his majesty." Kagome smiled, lying blatantly through her teeth. She really hated it.

"Well, I hope your accommodations are well, miss…" He motioned for them to introduce themselves.

"I'm Kagome," Kagome then pointed to Sango. "And this is my friend, Sango."

Miroku smiled. "Well, than I have found the right people. I talked to two of your other friends by the names of Ayame and Rin."

"Are they okay? You're not making Rin do any gruel work are you? Because I swear I'll rip out your—"

Miroku laughed. "Calm down, Miss Kagome. They are alright. Ayame is working in the gardens with the little girl, helping to pull out the weeds. The head gardener is kind and won't put the girl to do anything she can't do."

"Oh," Kagome nodded. "That's fine then."

Miroku nodded and turned to leave. "Well, it was nice to meet you, Kagome and Sango." with a dashing smile, he left and rounded the corner.

Kagome rolled her eyes and nudged Sango hard. "Don't let you soul escape."

Sango jumped. "Oh, I'm so sorry Kagome. It's just that he's so handsome! Didn't you think he was even the slightest bit handsome?"

Kagome sighed. "Yes, he is, but he's not my type." She sighed again, knowing what Sango was thinking. She couldn't stop her but she could give her some advice. "Just don't do anything stupid, ok?"

Sango laughed and walked away as she was called by another maid for help. Kagome dropped off the laundry with the washing maids and made her way to the kitchen, hoping to find spare bread. The cook was a nice old man who had taken a liking to Kagome.

"Totosai, is there anything I can do for you?" Kagome asked, after having eaten bread and cheese. She liked to return favors to people, even if they were small ones.

The old man scratched his head. "Well, there is that plate of food that has to go to a prisoner down in the dungeons. Could you take it for me? You know, these old bones aren't what they used to be."

Kagome laughed and grabbed the tray. "Don't worry about it Totosai, I'll do it." After being told how to get there, Kagome left out the kitchen quickly, wanting to go back and help Sango or Ayame. The halls leading to the dungeons gradually became darker, more dank and depressing. Kagome finally found the cell where the prisoner was, but there was someone else in there she wasn't prepared to see.

"Start talking, wench! Do you want to die? We know that you know where it is!" A resounding slap was heard, but there was no shout of pain. Kagome didn't want to walk in, she was afraid that Nozomu would try to do something to her again. She just wished she could see what woman was being tortured by him now.

"I will never tell you where the Shikon no Tama lies. I'd rather die than tell its location to the likes of you."

Another slap, harder and louder than the one before it, made Kagome cringe.

"I swear, you will tell me whether you want to or not, wench. You're lucky I haven't killed you yet."

Kagome hid behind the wall's tapestry as to not be seen by Nozomu. Once she was behind it, she wanted to hit herself. It didn't matter if he couldn't see her because he could most likely smell her. Either by fate or his anger he didn't find her. Nozomu stormed out of the cell, walking past her without hesitating.

Kagome let out a sigh and took the opportunity to walk in. She was shocked to see who the woman was.

"Lady Midoriko!" Kagome, yelled, running towards the noblewoman. "Milady, they captured you as well?"

Midoriko was surprised when Kagome reached her. "Kagome, is that you? I am so glad you were able to live! How did you get here?"

Kagome shook her head. "That doesn't matter right now. What matters is why Nozomu has you here."

Midoriko closed her eyes, a bitter smile on her lips. "That man wants to destroy that last thing that can save him. He wants to destroy his humanity."

Kagome blinked. "What do you mean his humanity? He has none!"

Midoriko sighed. "You haven't heard the legend have you? Or the prophecy?"

She shook her head. "No, milady I have not."

"Then I shall tell you."

Kagome waited as Midoriko started with the prophecy. "There is a prophecy as old as time. A babe with blue rimmed eyes and red irises will be born on a moonless night. On his seventeenth birthday, a rain of terrors shall follow; the sky, forever dark; the earth, forever cold. Many shall try and destroy him, but none shall prevail. Cries of mournful mothers will engulf the sky. Fathers drenched in the blood of the fallen weep with pain. And he, the new king, shall rule all."

Kagome's eyes grew wide. "Is that…"

"Yes, the prophecy talks of Nozomu." She sighed. "The prophecy was not heeded, but I think even if we had, this still would have happened. Fate's design has no way out, unless, of course, they provide a way out themselves."

Kagome raised an eyebrow. "How?"

Midoriko thought for a moment. "The story goes that there once was a young hanyou. He was seventeen years old. Notable to return back to his birth place, he was left to wander the earth. He was angry that he was all alone. He began doing terrible things to the villages he passed. Many tried to stop him, but not one person was able to. In no time, he was ruler of the land. If anyone wanted to survive, they had to listen and obey his every command. Days passed after his ruling and he became lonely. The emptiness that was in his heart came back. Taking a couple of his men, he raided a nearby village to erase the empty feeling. He set the huts on fire and destroyed the people. He watched as the people tried to run away, and he had no guilt in hunting them down. But then he saw a young girl the same age as him was there. She had hair the color of the night sky and big round eyes that told a story of sadness and understanding. The hanyou felt attracted to the young girl. He decided to take her and make her his personal slave."

Kagome was troubled by how similar the story sounded to what had happened to her. "Midoriko, that's exactly what happened to me."

Midoriko smiled knowingly, staring at the floor. "I know."

Kagome took a step backward. "What? What do you mean?"

Midoriko closed her eyes and sighed. "I have spiritual powers, remember? I knew since the day you came to our village. I also know that you're the key to the world's destruction or its salvation."

Kagome shook her head. "You don't know what you're talking about. I am not that girl."

Midoriko sighed. "I knew telling you would be bad, but you need to know something else. Long ago, there was a priestess named Kikyo. She was my ancestor and she protected the Shikon no Tama from evil demons. She was the first to hear of the prophecy and she knew that the evil one would try to procure it so when she died, she instructed her family to burn her remains, but also to burn her with the jewel. She thought that it would disappear that way."

Kagome gulped. "It didn't?"

The noblewoman shook her head. "No, instead, it was reincarnated into her body every time her soul was reborn. Our line, our family sought the girls who were her reincarnation for centuries. However, the girls did not live past childhood. I thought it had disappeared… but then you appeared."

Kagome shook her head again. "No, don't tell me."

"It is you Kagome; you carry the jewel in your body. That is why I cannot tell him, but if my theory is correct, he wouldn't be able to take it. You're the girl of the legend. I can't tell you the rest because you must decide if that is what you want: o save the world from complete and utter desolation, or not. "

"Why are you telling me this?" Kagome cried, the tray falling to the ground.

"I will die soon. I can no longer fight this battle. The legend and the prophecy had to keep going, even if it wasn't going to be my children. Why not tell it to the girl that it concerns? You are now the keeper of the legend. Just think it over, alright? Let the world have a sporting chance."

Kagome ran out before Midoriko could say another word. Midoriko sighed and knew that this would be difficult. She wished that she'd had more time to explain to Kagome, but it was impossible. Now that the prophecy had been passed, there was no need for her to keep being a liability to its secrecy. She would die and she would welcome the blissful eternal sleep.

**XXX**

"Damn it! That wench doesn't want to say where it is." Nozomu wanted to break something, but he settled with growling uncontrollably. Naraku just watched him unconcerned.

"Have you tried threatening her yet?'

Nozomu growled again. "I did, but it didn't work."

Naraku raised an eyebrow. "I had heard that she was a strong-willed woman, but she must be more stubborn than anything."

"Do you think she'll be ready to die with the secret?"

Naraku smirked. "My lord, she is prepared to walk into hell so that you can't find it. She might even commit suicide."

"You're not helping my temper, Naraku." Nozomu stood up, running a hand through his hair. He needed to be distracted, to forget his stupid problem, but what would provide that?

_Oh yes, _he thought. "I will be back in a while, Naraku."

Naraku bowed. "Yes, my lord."

**XXX**

Kagome didn't know what to do. She was afraid, more so than ever. Who wanted to hear that the fate of the world rested on their shoulders? How was she even supposed to save them? Was she supposed to kill Nozomu? No one had done it before, but then again they weren't who the prophecy talked about. And the jewel thing? That was even crazier to her ears. How could a jewel be inside of her? It all made no sense. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice who she bumped into.

"What a wonderful coincidence," Kagome gulped as she looked up to see blue-red irises. "I was just looking for you."

Without even giving her a voice of warning, he grabbed her and walked into the nearest room, locking the door behind him. "Now you will give me what you denied me before." Slowly, he approached the still-shocked Kagome, deciding to be gentle with her. That way she wouldn't put up a fight.

Kagome pulled away from him, scared for her life. She couldn't give herself up so easily, especially if it came with the price of her and her friends' life. "Stay away!" She shouted, taking huge strides backwards. Nozomu only laughed and in an instant he was right next to her.

"Now don't be difficult. It will make things worse for you." He crushed his lips to hers before she could run away again and his hands traveled up and down her body admiring the curves. Ripping the dress slightly from the seams of the back, he touched her bare flesh and relished at how soft and supple it was.

Kagome almost lost her train of thought when Nozomu's fingers touched her skin. She pulled out of the trance and pushed him away with all of her might. Nozomu was so surprised that he actually was pushed back.

"I told you to stay away from me, bastard!" Kagome yelled, before thinking. She stopped when she realized that she had insulted him. Nozomu's face was hard and angry. Kagome knew she had been stupid, but now there was nothing else to do, but to take the blow he surely was going to dealt her. Kagome stood her ground and closed her eyes, her face raised defiantly against him.

But the blow never came.

Kagome opened her eyes and realized that Nozomu's hand was still in the air. He couldn't bring it down on her and instead placed it back at his side. The flash of gold returned in his eyes, but only for a breath second. He turned away and instead addressed her.

"You're going to be my personal slave." He began turning back to her, once again getting frighteningly closer, but he didn't do anything this time. "Your chamber will be right next to mine, is that clear? You start after sundown."

"Who said I agreed?"

Nozomu's eyebrows shot up, but Kagome was not afraid of what he could do to her. At least that part of the legend was true.

"You will agree because that is the only thing that will keep your friends alive now."

Kagome gasped and narrowed her eyes. "You wouldn't."

"I would." He replied, "and I will if you don't agree."

Kagome hated being forced, but there was nothing else she could do. She had to keep her friends safe. "Fine."

Nozomu smiled wickedly. "I expect my bath to be drawn by nine tonight and your things in the chamber next to mine. I will make the arrangements." He smirked and tipped Kagome's chin upward. "Tell me your name."

Kagome couldn't find a good enough reason to not tell him. "It's Kagome."

Nozomu smirked grew even wider as he leaned to whisper in her ear. "I will enjoy breaking you, Kagome. You won't be able to resist me."

Kagome pushed him away, but Nozomu only laughed as he left the room. Kagome couldn't believe the audacity, the arrogance of that man. He thought he was best thing that had happened to this world when it was exactly the opposite. She couldn't believe she was now to be his slave. She didn't want anything to do with him! She just wanted to be with her friends, her family. One thing was for sure though.

She would never fall in love with him.

**Until the next chapter. Please review. We love you all and would like to hear from you.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Aw yeah! It's Daichi writing the first part again! I saw that you guys enjoyed the last chapter and that's great! Hope you love this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own, yadda, yadda, yadda.**

**Chapter 9: **

"What do you mean you have to go? Where are you going?" Sango asked, Ayame and Rin behind her. They watched as Kagome began grabbing the dresses she had been lent and put them in a bag that Nozomu had sent her. She treated the bag roughly, putting all of her frustrations into it. She didn't answer Sango because she didn't' want her or the rest of her friends to worry.

"Just somewhere," Kagome sighed.

Sango and Ayame exchanged glances. Kagome grabbed her bag, pulled the strings taut and tied them together harshly. She'd rip the bag and throw the pieces in Nozomu's face if she could. Just as she was about to leave, Sango moved to block her way.

"Kagome, you're hiding something, aren't you?"

Kagome sighed again and fixed her gaze on the floor. She didn't want to tell them. It would be better if they didn't why or where she had to leave. Sango already felt bad about what happened to her when they first got here.

Ayame placed a hand on Kagome's shoulder. "Kagome, you can tell us. We promise we won't be mad."

Kagome glanced up. "That's not the problem. I just don't want you guys to worry." Her voice was low and she didn't meet her friends' gazes.

"Tell us now." Demanded Sango

Kagome was about to say no, but Sango cut her off. "Don't say that you don't want to hurt us or whatever! Whatever it is, we can get through it together."

"Nozomu has ordered for me to become his personal slave. I'm supposed to have the chamber right next to his." Kagome sniffled, tears in her eyes. "He said that if I didn't agree, he'd kill you." Sango and Ayame gasped. Kagome tightened her grip on her bag and said, "That's why I'm leaving. I'm sorry, but I couldn't say no. I'll try to sneak out as much as I can to see you guys."

She hugged Sango, who hugged her tight. "Oh, Kagome." she sighed.

Ayame was in tears when Kagome hugged her. "This makes twice you know."

After a while, she let her go and bent down to say goodbye to Rin. She smiled as Kagome smiled at her. "Will you come by to play with me? I like it when you play with me!"

Kagome nodded, squeezing the girl in a hug. "I'll try. See you later."

She turned around as she twisted the door knob, a sad smile directed at her friends. "I'll miss you guys."

And with that she shut the door close behind, leaving her friends and walking to something unknown.

**XXX**

Kagome sighed as she tried to find the hallway to her new room was supposed to be in. The only problem was that she had no sense of direction and had quickly gotten lost. She turned a corner to see if there was anyone there, but she saw no one. She took a step back and bumped into someone.

She whirled around and realized she had walked into Miroku. "Oh, I'm sorry."

He shook his head to indicate her not to worry. "It's quite alright, but may I ask, what is a young woman doing out of her chamber wandering around?"

"Im' supposed to have a new bedchamber. His majesty has requested my presence as his personal sla—I mean, servant." Kagome explained.

"Ah! Then you were the young woman he sent me to get. He didn't mention your name, so I had no idea. He left before I could ask."

"Well," Kagome folded her arms. "I do need to unpack."

Miroku smiled and nodded. "Of course, Kagome."

They arrived in less than five minutes. Kagome could have kicked herself for being so near and yet losing her way so quickly. As she moved the bag into her chamber, she thanked Miroku and he left with a smile and a promise to watch over her friends.

_At least someone is willing to help me_, Kagome thought. She emptied her bag quickly on the spacious bed in the room. Not even before the war had Kagome seen such a pretty and expansive bed. She couldn't believe that she was supposed to use it either. Wasn't Nozomu supposed to treat her like dirt? Even she knew that slaves weren't supposed to be treated this well.

She glanced at the clock that was inside her room. She had never seen one this elaborate. The roman numerals were each made of tiny diamonds, the minute and second hands made up of what seemed like gold. The outside was also gold with intricate designs looping around it. She then noticed that it was almost time for when Nozomu wanted his bath.

She hated that she had to be here. No doubt he would take every opportunity to grab her and she knew she couldn't combat his advances as well as she'd like. The only thing keeping him from doing anything seemed the flash of gold that she would see. She had thought about it long and hard, coming to the conclusion that there was more to Nozomu that he let on. Maybe that could help in defeating him, but she couldn't see how.

Kagome surveyed her room once more and noticed a random door set in the middle of the right wall. Curious of what might be behind it, she walked to it, turning the knob and pushing the door open. What greeted her was a sight to behold.

This room was grander than anything else she had ever seen. The ceiling arched beautifully and gracefully, covered in different little patterns. On the walls hung beautiful paintings, ones she recognized as being famous. Walking further into the room, she noticed that the bed and desk where made of the same, pale brown wood. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that they were inlaid with small jewels, almost invisible to the naked eye. She glanced at the windows and they were draped with heavy cloth and they completely covered the windows. Kagome thought that it was odd, as there wasn't much light except for the candles in the room. She walked to towards them and pulled the drapes back.

The night sky was revealed and she noticed that there was only a half moon tonight. Gazing at the stars, she sighed. She wondered if her family could see here now; her thoughts trailed to her brother …she wondered if he was even alive anymore. She clung to her hope, which was all she had left.

"Enjoying the view, Kagome?"

The familiar voice made Kagome whirl around, a frown already on her face. "Oh," she said. "It's you."

Nozomu laughed. "Is that how you address a king?"

Kagome rolled her eyes and turned around. "You're not my king." She mumbled under breath and then groaned. She needed to control her temper or one of these days Nozomu wouldn't hesitate to hit her.

Nozomu ignored her comment, even thought he had heard it. Her defiance sparked his interest in her even more. She was getting harder to resist with every meeting. She was not as docile as other women and spoke her opinion without being afraid of the consequences. It would be fun to break that and finally get what he wanted from her, but he was sure that she would put up a fight until the very end.

He moved quickly next to her. "Do you like your room?" He asked, letting his voice go lower and whispering in her ear. He wrapped his arms around her waist, but Kagome jumped out of his reach before he could lock her in.

"I'm only here because I have to be." Kagome glared, pointing an accusing finger at her. "Don't think I actually want to be here with you!" She turned, walking to the bathroom. He followed her but only observed her, which made Kagome suddenly feel subconscious. She didn't like the way Nozomu watched her, as if she was piece of meat to be devoured. "There," She sighed, standing up straight, hands on her hips. "You can take that bath now." She quickly walked past him, brushing him aside without looking at his face. She didn't want to look at those blue-red eyes.

Nozomu watched her leave hungrily, but something more stirred inside of him. What was that? It was foreign to him, but he pushed that feeling away. He had half a mind to drag her with him into the water, but something stopped him. He clutched at his chest and growled as he glanced in the mirror. A flash of gold eyes appeared and Nozomu cursed the half-demon inside him. It was for that very reason he needed the jewel. If he couldn't be rid of him, Inuyasha might just be able to overcome him.

**XXX**

Kagome quickly walked into her room with the connecting door and shut it. Finding no lock, she looked for some piece of furniture to block it, so that Nozomu wouldn't try to do something funny when she was sound asleep. She probably wouldn't even sleep tonight, in fear that he could just break down the door. She sighed as she placed a wooden chair right underneath the doorknob.

Snuggling into the warm sheets of the four-poster bed, she moaned in content. At least she had somewhere to sleep and her friends were still okay. Her thoughts then drifted to the imprisoned priestess. She hated the idea that she was sleeping in such a nice room while she slowly rotted away in a dungeon cell. Thinking of Midoriko then prompted her thoughts of the prophecy and her role in it. Being so near him while he was asleep was a good thing. She could try and kill him then, so that she wouldn't have to deal with him anymore. She would have to pick the perfect time so that everything could go as planned. She didn't like the idea of killing, but when it came to Nozomu and all the crimes he'd already committed, she saw no wrong in doing it.

She closed her eyes, tired already. She'd have to be strong to defy Nozomu, to keep her friends alive and to finally defeat the man that had taken everything away from her.

**XXX**

Naraku made his way to the dungeon. Things were finally starting to look up for him, but another obstacle was in his way, Midoriko. He hated stubborn priestesses, always causing trouble. All he wanted was the location of the jewel. Nozomu was getting on his nerves. Naraku stopped at Midoriko's cell and went inside. The priestess was chained to the way, head bowed low.

"We meet again priestess," Naraku said walking over to her.

"You're efforts are in vein. I will never tell you where the jewel is." He grabbed her by the hair and forced her to look up at him. She did not flinch from the pain.

"Every last one of you said the same thing, but confessed in the end. I grow tired of this little game." He looked in her eyes and saw determination in keeping quiet. "More people will die because of you."

"No, I'm saving people. You will slaughter millions with it." Naraku chuckled and walked away. "How long do you think you can keep Nozomu in the dark? He will kill you once he realizes you are betraying him."

"I made Nozomu and can easily get rid of him as well."

"You are a coward. If Nozomu finds out that you are half-" he slapped her hard glaring.

"He will never know, you will be dead before you can even tell him. Now tell me where the jewel is."

"I will make you still me." He smiled darkly. Screams echoed through the dungeon and into the night sky.

**A/N: Sorry it took so long people. Don't be mad. Most of this was written by Daichi, wrote last part! We luv you all.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or characters. I do own the prophecy mentioned throughout the chapters. Inuyasha's demon name Nozomu: Desire.**

**Chapter 10: Scheming plots**

Kagome woke with a start, sweat trickling down her brow. Closing her eyes, she took slow deep breaths to calm her racing heart. _In and out Kagome_. She opened her eyes, climbed out of bed, and got ready for the day.

It had been awhile since she had that dream about him.

Kagome could never remember the details of the dream except she knew she was always surrounded by darkness. In the center of that darkness was a man. A sharp pain invaded her skull. Squeezing her eyes shut, she waited until the pain subsided before moving again. He was so familiar to her, but she didn't know why. Kagome just knew that every time she awoke she felt the need to set him free. It was too confusing to sit and ponder about it. Another headache was something she wanted to avoid. She thought about Midoriko and decided to go visit her in the dungeon. _Maybe she can help me understand the meaning of these dreams._

Kagome left her room and started on her chores, wondering if she would run into her friends on the way. Today, she planned to avoid meeting Nozomu at all costs. He was being more forceful with each encounter and she wasn't too confident in herself not to fall prey to his advances. He could have her anytime he wanted and there was nothing she could do to stop him. A human going against a full demon was suicidal.

Kagome remember the flash of gold in Nozomu's eyes. Every time he had wanted to have his way with her, she would see it, almost as if something were holding him back. It could be his weakness, but she wasn't sure. If it was, then how could she use it against him? So many questions were running through her head. Going to see Midoriko was urgent and necessary if she wanted to sleep peacefully at night. Kagome made her way down the hall towards the kitchen. Totosai might need help again and it was the perfect opportunity for Kagome to see her.

**XXX**

Naraku watched Kagome in the shadows. Something about the girl set him on edge. Could it be because she was now Nozomu's personal slave? No, he had been with many women before her and would be with many after he had his fill of her. What was it that had him following her even now? Though he was sure she was just a trifle human girl, he somehow felt threatened by her. She would have to be rid of as well as Nozomu.

_Nozomu._ Only he knew the true nature of Nozomu's soul, the half-demon he had locked within him all those years ago. Nozomu was just a pawn in his conquest. Playing the part of an obedient servant was just temporary and as they conquered more land, Naraku knew his time would come quick.

His plan was simple. If Midoriko finally confessed where the jewel lay, the plan would go very smoothly at his will. He would wish himself to be full demon, and since the jewel would grant his wish, he would be able to taint it. Then, he would play the part of a revolutionary hero, masking his scheme with the illusion of freedom. The people would be in the palm of his hands and his actions would be taken accordingly. Naraku smiled. He would have what he had always wanted.

_Power._

Naraku inwardly cursed the part of him that held him back from his goal. He was as obsessed with it as Nozomu was with his half-demon. He hated his human side, wished that he could rip it out of himself with his bare hands. He didn't care the price to get rid of it.

Deciding that he needed to continue with his plan, he left his hiding spot in favor for the halls that led to the dungeons. If he wanted his plan to come to fruition, he needed the jewel, and the only one who knew the location was that bloody frustrated woman down in the dungeon.

He reached her cell in no time at all. She lay on the floor, her hands still tied behind her back, her head resting on the grimy ground below her. He could not see her face for her hair covered it like ink as it spilled onto the floor.

He kicked her once. "Are you ready to tell me where the jewel lies yet?"

Midoriko held up her battered body as much as she could. "I told you that I didn't know where it was." She grounded out.

Naraku _tsked _and shook his head. "Now, if you want to live, it would be better to tell me. Don't lie to me because I know you know its location."

Midoriko glared at the man. "I would rather die than tell you or Nozomu. You will _never_ break me."

Naraku was losing his patience with the woman. He picked her up roughly, sending her flying to the wall next to him. He heard a deafening thud as the woman fell onto the floor. He could see the blood flowing from her head wound to the ground. He bent down near her, grabbed her by the hair and flashed a blade near her neck.

"Tell me or you die." He whispered harshly into her ear.

Midoriko closed her eyes, her resolve unmovable. "Never! You will never find the jewel!" She screamed.

Naraku, tired of the time he was wasting, slit her throat in a matter of seconds. The stupid woman had thrown away her life just so that he couldn't have what he wanted. He cursed her dead body and hoped she would be meeting hell soon. He threw the dagger near her body. Knowing that if he didn't disappear now, Nozomu would find him here and that would certainly complicate his plans.

A thought came to mind. He smiled wickedly at his genius. If the slave girl found Midoriko dead, the scent would be all over her. He would send her here on a pretense of bringing her food. Then, he would send Nozomu on his way here and when he would collide with her, chaos would surely ensue and the blame would be put on her. The plan was perfect.

It was like killing two birds with one stone.

**XXX**

"Kagome! Kagome, are you here?" Old man Totosai called out.

The girl in question emerged with a towel slung over her shoulder. "Need anything, Totosai?"

The old man nodded, pulling out a piece of paper from one of his many pockets. "Well, it says here that there's food to be sent to the prisoner you gave food to last time. Seems out of place thought," he mused. "I could've sworn we sent food this morning."

Kagome jumped at the opportunity to visit Midoriko. Maybe now her dreams could be explained! "I'll go do it, Totosai! I'm sure there was just a mistake this morning, so I'll happily take the tray."

Totosai scratched his head. "You will?"

She nodded. "Of course."

He then rubbed his chin. "I don't know …it might be bad for you to go alone— ah, wait." He scrunched his eyes to see better. "It says here you're to take the tray." He shrugged, getting the tray and handing it to Kagome. "Guess I have no choice, do I?"

"I'll be fine, Totosai." Kagome smiled warmly at the old man. "I'll be back in no time."

Totosai watched as the young girl practically ran out the kitchen. He found it odd that she wanted to go to the dungeons so badly. Was it that she had a sweetheart all locked up down there? He shook his head. The enthusiasm in her eyes wasn't love, more like she was going to see someone very important. But who was important that lived in the dungeons?

He didn't know why, but he suddenly had a very bad feeling that Kagome was headed into deep trouble.

**XXX**

Naraku watched as the slave girl left the kitchen. He promptly walked to Nozomu's office, prepared to give him the false news that Midoriko was finally ready to spill. Flattening his shirt a little, he knocked on the door.

"Come in," called the gruff voice from inside.

Naraku put on the fake smile he always used around his "master". "Nozomu, I bring you good news. Lady Midoriko has finally succumbed to our treatment."

Nozomu was out of his chair in a minute. "Has she told you yet? Where is it?" The eagerness that flooded his voice and face almost made Naraku want to smirk. Instead, he kept his facade up.

"She has refused to tell anyone but you." He bowed.

"I must go then." Nozomu waked briskly passed Naraku. "I trust you can run the affairs for the time I am gone?"

"Of course, sire." Naraku bowed deeply.

"Good."

Nozomu shut the door and was gone. Naraku smiled as he sank into the chair that would soon be his as he took over the lands. His quest for the jewel might have been hindered, but he would surely find someone else who knew where it was. He knew for a fact that the line of priestesses Midoriko was from did not allow the successor to die without telling their heir, or another person charged with the keeping of the secret.

Someone had to know where the Shikon jewel lie.

**XXX**

Kagome flew down the halls that would carry her to the dungeons as quickly as she could. She needed to talk to Midoriko, or else her dreams were going to drive her completely _insane_. Somehow, the need to help the man burned in her chest and she wanted to know why. Who was he? What was the purpose of the dream? How was she even supposed to help the man?

Kagome sighed as she made it to the last stretch of hall before Midoriko's cell. Hopefully she would be able to answer the questions so that she could be in peace. As she slowed down her pace, Kagome noticed something odd. There was no sound from Midoriko's cell and she could smell something off, something that sent chills up her spine. She shook her head and kept on walking until she opened the door of Midoriko's cell.

The tray clattered to the floor as Kagome took in the horrifying scene.

Blood was nearly everywhere. On the floor, on the wall….Kagome couldn't close her eyes no matter how much she wanted to. She then spotted Midoriko figure, face down in a pool of her own blood. Desperately, Kagome ran to her only lift her up and find that her throat had been slit.

Kagome almost let the body go from her disgust, but she was careful. Blood covered her hands now and she could feel the bile coming up her throat and she felt the need to vomit. She tried to wipe off her hands with the towel, but it didn't work as she only smudged her uniform. She saw the knife that had been used and grabbed it, hoping it would provide answers to the murder.

Knowing she needed to go out quickly and find some help, she practically ran out the door, almost tripping a few times because of how badly her legs were shaking. She had never wanted to see this. She had never seen a person dead, let alone murdered, and the effect was taking its toll on her body.

Just as she was about to exit the hallway, she bumped into someone. Hands held out to steady her, but when she looked at the person who had helped her, she was ready to go back and stay with the dead corpse than have to have seen this man.

Nozomu steadied the girl he had been chasing after in seconds. He had no time for her at the moment, but something stopped him. He took a whiff off her and suddenly looked at her clothes.

_Blood._

Midoriko's blood.

There was no mistaking it.

Nozomu shook her. "Where the hell is Midoriko?"

Kagome stuttered, "She— blood everywhere—"

He roughly pushed past her, running to the cell he had put Midoriko in. The scent of blood assaulted his nose, and he quickly covered it. The body was in the middle of the room, lying in a small heap face up. He glanced at Kagome, who had followed him, a dagger in her hand.

His eyes burned with rage. "It was you, wasn't it? She was ready to tell me the secret of the location of the jewel and you killed her!"

The girl shook her head. "N-no, I would n-never do such h-horrid t-thing!" She stuttered out of shock and fear as the formidable man came onto her. He grabbed her roughly and shook her.

"Lies!" he shouted into her face. He ripped the dagger out of her hands. "This is the proof!You will pay for you crime!"

Kagome burst out in fresh tears, overwhelmed of the scene occurring in front of her. How could Nozomu think she had killed the woman who had taken her in? Did he not understand that she could never do that?

"I didn't kill her!" She shouted, closing her eyes and shaking her head. "She was like that when I got here-"

"Stop lying you little bitch!" He grabbed her from her arm and pushed her, making her hit the wall. Kagome screamed out in pain as the cold stone hit her shoulder blade. Though she was sure it wasn't cracked, there was going to be a big bruise there tomorrow. That is, if she lived to see tomorrow. She knew that Nozomu was too angry for anything to stop him. Not even that stupid prophecy legend could save her now.

Nozomu grabbed her by the throat, overwhelmed by anger. He finally had a chance to get rid of his human half, but everything was ruined. He watched Kagome squirm and gasp for breath. Yes killing her wounded bring back Midoriko, but it would make him a lot better. He was hit with overwhelming pain in his head, causing him to release her. Nozomu doubled over, the pain was excruciating.

_Damn it!_, He thought. _It's because of her!_

Grabbing her once more, he was going to shake the truth out of her and then have her killed, until she struck him.

Kagome slapped the demon grabbing her hard, her only means of escape. She had seen the pain he was put through when he hurt her and she deeply hoped that he wouldn't attempt to strike her back. She stood there, somewhat stunned as Nozomu realized he had been hit by his slave girl.

"Damn it," he growled. He tried lifting his hand to strike her, but again, pain thudded through his skull. Letting Kagome go and falling to the ground, she took this moment to escape. Since she had nowhere to go, she would have to go back to her room and lock the doors, prop things against it, anything to keep this raging beast from hurting her even though she knew it would not keep in out.

Running as fast as her wobbly legs could take her, she made it back to her room, glad that no one had seen her clumsy trek there. Quickly getting in, she tried to bolt the lock, but her hands were shaking too hard. Finally, though, the lock clasped.

Running around and putting the furniture in front of the door, she also covered the glass windows, latching them as well to assure her protection. Though she was sure Nozomu could break through her defenses easily, she hoped fervently that he would leave her alone. She didn't need his stupid accusations to make her feel worse. Seeing someone dead, someone you cared about, was enough. She thought inexplicably about her family and burst into fresh tears.

**XXX**

Nozomu raised himself slowly off the floor, cursing his body. He couldn't do anything to that girl, even if he wanted to. She made him feel… off, like there was something about her that he couldn't resist. It was why she had kept him so interested, apart from defying him the way she did, like what had just happened. Keeping her around was a hindrance as well. No matter the way it was looked at, she was a liability to him, a distraction he could not afford.

He glanced at the dagger at his hand and sniffed it. Kagome's scent was over it, but there was something else there. Kagome _did_ have the blade in her hand when he saw her, but there was a scent underlying hers that wasn't as fresh, a scent he could not place. Could it be that she hadn't killed the dead woman? And if she had, how could she have known anything about the fact that he wanted the jewel's secret location.

He cursed himself again. He had just revealed the most important kind of information to her that she probably didn't even know about. Now it was more pressing to find a way to keep her mouth shut, something that wouldn't give him a splitting headache.

Nozomu was about to leave when he heard footsteps coming from the hall leading out to the main hall.

"Sango, stop!" called a man that sounded vaguely familiar.

The girl named Sango, who Nozomu recognized as one of Kagome's friends, came rushing in, coming upon the scene before him.

"What . . .?" She stopped as she took in the blood, the dead woman, and the blade in Nozomu's hands, she grew visibly angry.

"What did you do to Kagome?" She shouted. "She was sent here ages ago and no one's seen her!" She tried to lunge at him, but the man that had been calling her finally rounded the corner and grabbed the girl by her waist to restrain her.

"Let me go, let me go!" She yelled, hitting the man with her fists and trying to get him to release her. Nozomu had to give props to the young man restraining her. "Miroku, stop! He must've done something to Kagome if he killed Lady Midoriko!"

"Shut up." Nozomu glared at the young girl. "I owe you no explanation."

"Where is Kagome?"

Nozomu raised his hand, but Miroku pushed Sango behind him and bowed continuously. "Forgive us, your majesty. We will be leaving."

"Midoriko was everything to Kagome and you killed her!"

Furious, he was about to send him away, but instead he directed a question at Sango. "You knew Midoriko?" Sango kept quiet. "Speak when spoken to girl."

"Yes, Kagome, Ayame and I were working in her land when you came." She hissed that last part with disgust.

Nozomu nodded to himself. That was why she was so upset and why she had hit him. This woman had been important to her, maybe even a mother-figure as well, since it seemed like Kagome had no family.

But Sango wasn't finished talking. "You ruined everything, everything! Kagome gave up her freedom for me and my friends because you made her!"

"Enough," Nozomu growled, but Sango didn't step down. "I suggest you leave my sight now before I strike you where you stand."

Miroku turned to Nozomu. "This will never happen again, your majesty. Please forgive us." He bowed deeply.

Nozomu shrugged and waved Miroku away with his hand. "Go."

Miroku nodded and grabbed Sango's hand and dragged her out; Nozomu watched them until they were out of site.

He turned back to the dead body and frowned. Someone had killed Midoriko because he or she didn't want Inuyasha to have the Jewel. Who could it be? Turning, he left the cell and went to his office. Spotting a couple of guards, he sent them to bury the body and clean up. He needed time to think, to sort the lies from the truth.

What was going on?

**SOOOOOOOO TBC. Daichilover wrote most of this chapter….damn I'm slacking. But don't worry! Review! Review! Review! Tell us what you think and what you think might happen. We love reading from our viewers! Until next time.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: Don't own Inuyasha or characters. I do own the prophecy mentioned throughout the chapters. Inuyasha's demon name Nozomu: Desire.**

**Chapter 11: All up to you**

Kagome curled up in a ball against the farthest corner of the room, rocking steadily. Midoriko was dead. Her guardian, the only person that knew what was going on in the world, was dead. Now, Nozomu was blaming her for the death and she was sure he was in rage. She couldn't help but think about her friends. If Nozomu was furious at her, then he was going to take out is anger on them and maybe even force her to watch until it was her turn. She buried her head farther in her arms as the awful thought came to her. More people were going to die if she didn't do something to stop him soon.

Kagome jumped at the banging on her door, but relaxed when she heard the familiar voice. "Kagome, it's me Sango!" Her friend yelled from the other side of the door. "Open up, please. I have Miroku with me too."

Kagome hesitated before moving the furniture away from the door to open it. As soon as she opened it, Sango embraced her tightly. "I'm so sorry Kagome." Miroku accompanied Sango's words by patting her gently on her shoulder.

"It's okay Sango." Kagome tried to cover up her grief by giving her a smile. It didn't work. "Where are Ayame and Rin?"

"Don't worry," Sango assured her, speaking softly and squeezing her. "They're perfectly safe."

Kagome let go of Sango and realized that they were still at the door. "Come in," She moved to the side, letting Sango and Miroku room to come inside.

They all sat down, Kagome on her bed and Sango and Miroku separately in the available chairs. Sango began interrogating.

"Kagome," Sango started, "What happened? I went down in the dungeon to see what was taking you so long and I saw Nozomu covered in Midoriko's blood" Sango pursed her lips, hesitating. She wondered if her next question would driver Kagome over the edge. "Did he make you watch as he killed her?"

"No," Kagome felt the tears prick her eyes. She wasn't sure if she could explain what happened without bursting into tears. "I-I…" A sob came out and Kagome struggled to keep herself composed.

"Take your time Kagome." Miroku said taking her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. Even though Kagome didn't know Miroku very much, she felt oddly comfortable around him. He gave off the same aura as Sango did, the kind that made you feel safe.

Kagome cleared her throat but kept her gaze fixed on the floor. "I found Lady Midoriko dead when I arrived." Her voice was soft, almost inaudible. "I tried to see if she was alive, but I was too late."

"Is that why you have blood on you?" Miroku asked, pointing to her clothes.

Kagome looked down and realized that she was still covered in Midoriko's blood. During the panic she had completely forgotten about it. She wanted to rip her clothes away, take the blood that was screaming at her off of her. Kagome itched for it, but kept her cool.

"Yes." Kagome nodded. "I saw the knife that was by her body and picked it up." She gulped. "I was making my way out of the dungeon to inform a guard, but I ran into Nozomu. I wasn't thinking clearly," She silently cursed herself. "I should have left the knife where it was." There was no stopping the tears now. "He-he accused me of killing her. He was so furious…" Kagome's voice faltered. "I thought he was about to kill me."

"How did you get away?" Miroku asked, eyebrow raised.

Kagome rubbed her eyes, calming down a bit more now that she was talking about it and getting it off her chest. "Well, I don't really know how to explain it. I was trying to talk to Midoriko about it, but now…" She took a deep breath in and out. "All I know is that somehow I'm suppose to stop Nozomu."

"What?" Sango was shocked as she looked at her friend. "Stop him? That's impossible!" Sango almost shrieked. "People have already tried that and none have succeeded. How can you possible do it?"

"Unless she is the person mentioned in the prophecy." Miroku quietly muttered. Sango and Kagome glanced at him. He locked eyes with Kagome. "Did Midoriko mention anything about a prophecy to you Kagome?"

"How do you know?" She asked, bewildered. Was there actually someone who knew besides her?

Miroku sighed as if he didn't want to talk about it, but addressed her question. "I come from a long line of monks." He began. "My father had died young and my grandfather was the one who took care of me. The story of the notorious demon king had reached our village in the mountains, but another story that entailed his past came to us through a servant of another Lord. We were sworn to secrecy by this servant, saying that his master didn't want to be known as the supplier of the information. I was there when Nozomu reached the mountains."

Miroku stopped and closed his eyes. Kagome wondered if he relived that terrible night like she did in her nightmares. He opened his eyes after a while and continued. "By that time, my grandfather had done extensive research about the prophecy when he stumbled upon Lady Midoriko's family line and secret. There were generations of powerful priestesses like her who kept the secret of something very powerful. The prophecy wasn't theirs originally, though, but somehow the secret of this powerful object came with it exclusively."

Sango eyes flitted between Kagome and Miroku, taking in everything. "What are you guys talking about? Prophecy about what?"

Miroku was silent, but then turned to the girl next to him. "Sango," He began "There's a prophecy about Nozomu's downfall."

"What? How?" Sango looked so confused. Kagome laid a hand on Sango's hand, but directed her comment at Miroku.

"Lady Midoriko mentioned a prophecy and she told me the whole story."

"So do you mind filling me in?" Sango asked, arms crossed and tapping her foot impatiently.

Miroku and Kagome glanced at each other, but Kagome told the story of the hanyou and his terrible past, the death of his loved ones and how he gave into his inner demon. She also explained about the second half of the prophecy many did not know about.

"Okay," Sango paused her friend after she had finished telling the story. "So you're the girl that is suppose to save him?"

"Theoretically, yes." Kagome sighed. "Midoriko knew she was going to die, but I didn't know it would be like this." Kagome wiped away stray tears. "After she told me about the prophecy, I ran away."

"It's okay Kagome, you were scared." Miroku patted her shoulder. "It's not your fault. A giant burden has been placed on your shoulders." Miroku assured her. "But please, remember that you are not alone anymore."

"But how am I suppose to complete the prophecy? What if Nozomu realizes that I have the jewel?"

Miroku's eyes widened. "The Shikon no Tama?"

She nodded. "Yes," Kagome wrapped her arms around her waist. "Lady Midoriko said I'm the reincarnation of Kikyo, the priestess who was in charge of keeping the jewel safe, and that the jewel is inside me." She paused thoughtfully before she continued. "I don't know why Nozomu wants it though."

"Okay, let's back track a second." Miroku sat back in his chair, thinking. "Earlier you said that you were able to get away from Nozomu." Kagome nodded. "How?"

"Well, his eyes changed colors. There was always a flicker of gold whenever he stops."

"That's it!" He was out of his chair fast, causing the two girls to jump at the sudden movement. "That gold must be the hanyou that's trapped." He then thought for a second. "Nozomu must want the jewel to remain in control."

"But I don't understand! What is with it the jewel that he would want it so much?" Kagome was confused. She never heard of the Shikon no Tama before.

"The Shikon no Tama has the ability to grant anyone their deepest wish. But no one knows the whereabouts of the jewel. The priestess whose duty was to protect it died and burnt it with her body long ago and no one has seen it since." Sango interjected her small piece of knowledge. "As you know this was a long long time ago. No one talks about it and the people that do are labeled as being mental." She gave a pointed look at Kagome.

Kagome ignored it. "Nozomu is not the master mind here." Both Kagome and Sango looked at Miroku. "Someone must be using Nozomu as a puppet, but who?"

Each of the current occupants looked at each, at a loss for what the answer could possibly be.

Naraku sat in the seat of his "master", reveling in the feel of power it gave him. Soon, this seat would be rightfully his and he would not be the substitute for anything. He wondered idly if Nozomu had already killed the servant girl. He hoped as much. He didn't want to have to do all the dirty work around here.

He stood up when his hearing picked up the sound of footsteps out in the hall. He composed himself and bowed deeply when Nozomu entered. He noticed the smell of blood around him and hoped that it was the girl's.

"Sire," Naraku spoke as he bowed. "I trust that you were able to get your desired information?"

By the expression of Nozomu's face, he hadn't. Naraku resisted the urge to smirk.

Nozomu huffed angrily. "Not at all. Someone got to her before I could and killed her." The mention of death rolled on his tongue like nothing. He was used to people dying around him.

"I am very sorry, my lord." Naraku immediately adopted his subservient, sympathetic tone. "Who could have done such a thing?"

Nozomu shook his head. "I have no idea, but be sure that I will find the culprit. Here's the knife," He threw the bloodied knife to his servant and Naraku caught it with ease. He knew the knife to be his own, but Nozomu had no idea.

"Sire, did you meet any servants on your way?"

Nozomu glanced at him, eyes narrowed. "Why do you ask?"

"I heard from the cook that he had sent a servant, a young girl down to the dungeons just before you went there." Naraku looked at Nozomu. "She is your slave girl, isn't she?"

Nozomu turned to fully face Naraku, his tone clipped. "She is, but it's not of your business, is it?"

Naraku bowed apologetically. "I was merely trying to refer to you that maybe this girl could have reached her before you could." He waited for the agreement of Nozomu, but was surprised when he only laughed.

"That girl? She'd rather die herself than kill anyone," Nozomu shook his head. "You could not have been more mistaken."

"Are you sure, my lord?" Naraku pressed the issue. "Looks can be deceiving, can't they?" He knew this concept very well; he was a living example of it?

Nozomu composed himself and shook his head. "They can, but she didn't do it. She was bawling when I found her. Besides, the knife had another scent on it that was faint, but noticeable. Kagome's was fresher and if it had been hers, then there would be no other scent."

"But that could have been a ploy to look for the wrong culprit." Naraku did not like where this was going. Why wasn't Nozomu accusing the girl yet?

"Didn't you just hear me, Naraku?" Nozomu snapped at his servant, growling slightly. "Someone else did it! And since you're so interested in finding out who did it," Nozomu glared at him. "I want you to find the real culprit." He turned away and said, "I shall be out for the next hour. Don't ask for me until I come back." He slammed the door close, leaving Naraku behind.

Naraku was furious at his back-fired plan. Somehow, Nozomu had figured out that it had been someone else who had did it, and now he was supposed to find them? The irony was stifling. Sending the murderer to find the murderer. He clenched his fists and resisted the urge to just go and fight Nozomu. He needed to calm down or his plan would have been all for nothing.

He slammed his fist on the desk, knowing that his plans for domination had taken a serious backtrack, but that was okay, he always managed to find a way to accelerate things.

Nozomu shut the door behind him and started walking in the direction his feet took him, not caring where he was going. He was so angry, but he kept his cool around his subjects. His temper had flared for many reasons; one, the only person he knew that could have possibly known about the jewel's whereabouts was dead, second, he had revealed something very important to Kagome when he hadn't realized it. Would she figure out what he was talking about? Did she even care enough to?

His thoughts were then consumed on the raven-haired beauty he had captured for his pleasures. He couldn't hurt her, which he didn't understand at all. The half-demon inside him was either getting too strong or he was getting weak. It was even more imperative to get the jewel now more than ever. Another rarity was the fact that he hadn't forced her yet. Somehow, he didn't want to. He wanted Kagome to submit willfully, which was out of character for him. Feelings stirred inside him, much more than simple attractiveness and interest. They were unknown to him. He shook his head. All he wanted was to break Kagome and if she put up no fight, that would mean he had won. As long as she fought, he would enjoy the ride to his ultimate goal.

He suddenly realized where he was when he paused. For some strange reason, he was in front of Kagome's door. It was quiet inside, as if she wasn't there or as if she was asleep. He turned the knob and pushed, but found that the girl had barricaded her door. He pushed the things away easily, surprised she hadn't yelped or yelled already. He walked in on a most peculiar sight.

Kagome was asleep on the bed Nozomu had given her with the room. He could tell that she was freshly washed because the smell of blood had been replaced by the scent of sweet lavender. Her hair was also wet and it draped over the pillow invitingly. He came closer to her and looked at how peaceful her face was right then. Something surged inside him that confused him, but nevertheless he stretched out his hand and touched her cheek. Her skin was warm and soft. Weak and human. Fragile and dispensable.

Nozomu knew he could kill her now. She knew too much and if she ever investigated enough, she would figure out his most kept secret. It would be so quick that she would feel no pain and no one would hear her pleas for help. It was perfect timing.

Even as the wave of pain hit his skull, he was already backtracking from that idea. He knew he wouldn't be able to do it because of the excruciating pain it was to even scrape her lightly, but he found that he didn't want to. _It's only because I haven't received what I want from her,_ he reasoned. _Nothing else._

Even as he thought that, and as he walked out the room, he wondered if he would ever see Kagome look that peaceful in front of him.

"_Save me," whispered the voice in the darkness. _

_Kagome looked around for the source of the voice, but found no one. Then, the fog that covered her eyes cleared and she could see a pair of golden eyes staring back at her. Nothing else was visible to her._

_"You're the only one who can do it," He whispered. "Please, I need you."_

_Kagome ached to try and help this man. She felt a scorching pain in her chest and she knew it was because of him. "Tell me how to help you!" She yelled._

_"You know how," the voice replied. "Save me, please."_

_The plea couldn't go unnoticed by the girl, but she lacked the way to save him. She reached out for him and in that instant, another hand, a clawed hand reached for hers as well._

_"I'll wait for you," The voice said, and the hand and the eyes disappeared behind a cloud of smoke._

Kagome bolt upright, breathing heavily. She glanced around her now dark room and got out of her bed quickly. A hand to her forehead, she sighed. The dream was getting more vivid each time she dreamed it, but none of it was clear to her. She was finally able to remember some of the details, but it still left her confused. Who was she supposed to help and how? Those had been her question to the strange man's voice every time he asked her to save him. He would repeat that she knew and that she had to help him. She sighed once more and sat at the edge of her bed, her head in her hands.

Miroku and Sango had left just before she had taken her bath. It was the first luxurious bath she'd had since the war began and it felt so good. She had even used the lavender soap that someone had furnished the bathroom with. She wondered why Nozomu would have such a girly scented soap, but the answer was obvious enough. She was not the first female in this room and she would certainly not be the last if she didn't do something quick.

For some reason, it irritated her that Nozomu had this place prepared for any girl. She shook her head and rid herself of the crazy thought. She knew perfectly well Nozomu was an experienced man.

Either way, she didn't want to find out soon

She glanced at the beautifully adorned clock and noticed that Nozomu, if he still hadn't made up his mind about killing her, would be expecting his bath. She let out a huff and stood, stretching her coiled muscles. Walking to the door that connected her room and his, she opened it as carefully as she could. She heard no one and was about to sigh in relief until she noticed that there was someone in there after all.

Nozomu laid on his bed, his eyes closed in sleep. Kagome's breath stuck in her throat and no sound could come out from it. She glanced at the man she had decided to despise and could not for a moment think that he didn't look vulnerable as he slept. To Kagome, it seemed, he was more handsome than ever when he slept. No longer were the blue and red eyes piercing her own, but the lids of a pale, but healthy complexion met her sight. His ears were much more noticeable as he lay there and Kagome had to resist the urge to reach out to touch them. When she lifted her eyes from his face, she saw a sword hanging on the wall. She walked towards it and grabbed the handle in admiration.

Kagome suddenly realized the excellent opportunity that lay there in front of her. She could finish him right then and there and he would hardly notice. She could end it all for everyone, make history and escape to find her lost brother. With Nozomu dead, life would become much more easier to live. She wouldn't have to fear the threat of his advances on her maidenhood or her life. She could, in essence, be happy again. She gripped the handle harder.

So why couldn't she do it?

She let go of the handle and turned away. Part of her was screaming at her for how stupid she was to let this once-in-a-life-time opportunity pass, but another part told her not to, that it would hurt more than she could imagine.

Kagome approached the sleeping king and couldn't help but giggle. Who knew that the most feared man in the country could look like such a boy while he slept? She reached out and touched his cheek, her body acting of its own accord. She quickly took her hand away and walked away from him. No doubt that if his bath wasn't drawn, he would come look for her in the dead of night.

**Another great chapter by us! Please review, we love hearing from you all. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Another chapter by Daichilover and I. Hope you guys like it.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Inuyasha or characters. I do own the prophecy mentioned throughout the chapters. Inuyasha's demon name Nozomu: Desire.**

**Chapter 12: New Moon**

Kagome finished putting fresh sheets on Nozomu's bed. She was glad that she was able to avoid running into him all day, but she found it strange. No matter what, Nozomu always caused her some type of problem. Things were different ever since Midoriko passed. It seemed like Nozomu knew that Kagome was not the murder since she was still alive. But the question was who killed her?

Kagome thought about the conversation she had with Miroku and Sango. Miroku believed that there was someone that was using Nozomu for the jewel. He said that he would look into it and report to them if he found anything interesting. Kagome thought about it long and hard, but there was no one that she could think of that was capable of being the "master mind", so to speak.

_Maybe the master mind is the one that murdered Lady Midoriko too. _

Kagome left the room and walked down the hall. She thought more about the prophecy. There was nothing saying that she had to kill Nozomu in order to free the hanyou. _But what else is there? What else can I do to free him?_

"What are you doing?"

Kagome jumped and turned to the voice. "I …I am his highness Nozomu's personal slave." She looked the figure over. She didn't bother to curtsy like usual. She had never seen him around the castle before.

"Well, get back to work. You're not here to stand around."

"Well, who exactly are you to be telling me what to do?" Kagome put her hands on her hips. "The only person that I answer to is King Nozomu." _Yeah right. _She swallowed the lie.

The figure walked up to her and grabbed her by the chin, forcing her to look at him. "You have quite a mouth on you." He snarled. "Do you want me to cut out your tongue?"

Before Kagome could speak, a voice called out. "Naraku!"

He abruptly let go of her and bowed deeply as Nozomu walked up to them. "Your highness."

Nozomu glanced at Naraku and Kagome skeptically. "What's going on here?"

Kagome didn't like the way he looked at her. It seemed he didn't trust her at all. "Nothing," She said. "Now if you'll excuse me," She gave him a pointed look. "I _must_ finish my work." She started to walk away.

"Kagome," He called. She stopped, not turning around to face him.

His voice boomed with command. "I will not need you tonight or in the morning, so do not bother me."

"Fine," She lifted her head and walked away.

Nozomu then turned his attention back to Naraku. "Don't ever touch her unless you want me to rip your hands off." He growled.

"Forgive me, my lord." Naraku hung his head. "I was only trying to discipline her loose tongue."

"The only one that will discipline her will be me." Nozomu said, straightening his clothes and glaring at Naraku. "Is the tower ready yet?"

"Yes, my lord." Naraku nodded. "Shall we head up there now?"

Kagome turned the corner and listened in on Nozomu's and Naraku's conversation. She wondered what tower they were talking about and decided to ask Totosai if he knew anything about it. She quickly made her way to the kitchen and found Totosai stirring a pot of stew that smelled scrumptious even from far away. Her stomach growled

"Hello, Totosai." She took a seat in one of the stools.

The old man looked up and smiled. "Hello Kagome, how are you?"

She shrugged. "I'm okay."

Totosai nodded and said, "I heard about the prisoner that died," He tasted the stew. "And that she was a friend of yours." He put the spoon down and looked at the young girl with sympathy. "I'm sorry, Kagome."

She gave him a small smile, about the only thing she could muster when talking about her old guardian. "It's okay, Totosai." Then she pushed her hair behind her ear and leaned in, changing the subject "Anyway" She started, "Do you know anything about a tower here, Totosai?"

He glanced up from the pot again. "A tower, you say?"

Kagome nodded. "Yeah."

He shrugged. "Well this is a castle, so of course there would be a tower."

Kagome nodded and thoughtfully said, "Do you know what's inside?"

"I have no clue." Again, he shrugged, chopping up some vegetables and throwing them in the pot. "I'm always in the kitchen. The person to ask is someone who wanders around the castle a lot."

She hopped off the stool, smiling. "Thank you, Totosai."

He glanced at her. "Sorry I'm not much help. Do you need anything else?" He asked.

Kagome thought the old man was very kind to offer. He was always so nice to her. "Nope," she declared. "That was all. I'm gonna go find Sango and the gang." She hugged him, which surprised Totosai. "Take care!"

The old man laughed as she rushed away. "You too!"

Kagome made her way to the slave quarters as fast as her feet would take her. She already had a person in mind to ask about the tower. She thought about Miroku and wondered if he knew anything about it. She walked briskly to her destination.

"Kagome!"

She turned around and saw Miroku walking up to her. "Hey Miroku," She smiled. "What are you doing here?"

He blushed slightly and started to scratch his head. "Well…"

Kagome laughed, thinking about exactly who he had come to see. "Don't hurt her now, Miroku." She crossed her arms and gave him a pointed look. "She's been through a lot."

Miroku smiled, relieved that he didn't have to say anything out loud. "Don't worry. I don't plan to."

"Good," She dropped her crossed arms and asked, "Did you find out anything yet?"

Miroku shook his head. Together, they traveled into the corridors that housed the slaves and the servants, looking for their friends. "Do you know someone named Naraku?" Kagome had just remembered the rough man from before.

"Naraku?" He was silent as he thought about it. "His name sounds familiar."

Kagome looked ahead. "Well, I heard him talking to Nozomu." She frowned. "There's just something about him that makes my skin crawl."

Miroku nodded to himself. "Interesting." He glanced at the young girl. "I'll ask around and let you know what I come up with." Kagome nodded but suddenly her named was called out.

"Kagome!"

Kagome turned around to see little Rin running up to her. She jumped up, latching herself on her legs. "I missed you."

Kagome was touched by the affectionate gesture. She patted the girl's head. "I missed you too Rin." She bent down at eye-level with the child. "Are you being a good girl?" Rin nodded.

"Rin!" Ayame appeared, panting. "I told you no running." She turned to her friend "It's great to see you, Kagome. I'm glad you're doing well." She smiled.

Kagome nodded, looking up at her friend. "Thank you, Ayame. You're looking well, too."

"Don't forget about me!" Sango called, appearing from behind the corner.

"Don't worry," Miroku smiled, watching her join her friends. "You're not easy to forget, my dearest Sango."

Sango blushed, causing everyone to laugh, except for Rin who had no idea why Sango had gone red and the others were laughing.

"Let's find a place to talk." She suggested, trying to take the focus away from her to the matter at hand.

Miroku and Kagome followed the girls to their room, but it didn't take long to find it. They took a seat where they could. Rin ended up sitting on Kagome's lap.

"I filled Ayame in on wants going on," said Sango, glancing meaningfully at all of them.

"Good," Kagome glanced around. "We can get straight to business. Miroku didn't find anything yet. Did you, Sango?" She added.

Sango shook her head. "Nope."

Kagome sighed and supported her chin with the palm of her hands. "This is harder than I thought."

"Don't worry Kagome." Ayame patted Kagome's hand. "We'll get something."

Kagome nodded and glanced at Miroku. "Miroku, do you know about a tower here?"

He nodded. "Yes, there's a tower that is forbidden to enter." He looked at her thoughtfully. "Why do you ask?"

"I heard Nozomu and Naraku talking about it. They both went there, but didn't say what for." She answered. "Maybe there's something in there that can help us."

"So you want us to break into the tower and see if we find anything?" Ayame asked, seeking confirmation.

Kagome shook her head. "Not us, just me. It'll be safer for only one person to go." Besides that, she didn't want to get her friends involved. It was her destiny. However, her proposal was not accepted by all.

"No!" Sango stood up, practically fuming at what Kagome was suggesting. "What if you get caught? Why you?"

Kagome looked up at Sango warily. "As much as I hate it, Nozomu won't do anything to me." She sighed, readjusting Rin. "He can't. If one of you get caught, he won't hesitate to kill you."

Everyone was silent as they contemplating this hard, but real fact. Rin noticed the worried faces of the adults and knew that there was something very wrong. She didn't know what they were talking about, but she knew who they were talking about.

"I don't like him Kagome." Rin voiced. The rest of the gang was a little surprised at her opinion.

Kagome smiled softly. "I know." She kissed the top of her head. "There has to be something important up there."

"Kagome is right." Miroku said, standing up and pacing like he usually did when pondering something very important. "Nozomu could care less if it was her." He locked eyes with Kagome. "But if he gets mad enough, I'm sure that the prophecy won't be able to help you."

Kagome knew this and she knew what the consequences could be. She knew no one else could do it other than her, because at least she had a sporting chance. "Then it's settled. We shall meet at sunset. See if you can find out anything about the tower." She directed this to everyone.

They all nodded, ready to set the plan into motion.

"So?" Kagome ran up to her friends. She had to do some last minute cleaning while Nozomu had mysteriously disappeared and had forgotten to watch the time.

"Well, I didn't find much about the tower." Miroku said, "But I did hear some interesting things about Naraku."

"Like?" Kagome crossed her arms.

Miroku lowered his voice so that no one but the little group could hear. "Naraku is Nozomu's number two. He follows him around, does his dirty work, everything. He's his adviser on everything." He paused. "They had teamed up right before Nozomu started conquering lands."

"It's him," Sango gasped. "He must be the one who's controlling Nozomu!"

"And listen to this," Miroku carried one, encouraged by Sango's exclamation. "I heard the old wash ladies say that Naraku is a demon and that he once loved the woman who was the protector of the jewel."

Kagome's eyes widened. "That man loved Kikyo?"

"The very same." Miroku nodded. "Turns out that when she didn't give the jewel to him, he turned against her and almost killed her. She was powerful enough to stop him, but not to destroy him."

"So what does that tell us?" Ayame said, having listened intently. "That Naraku's a sore loser when it comes to love?"

Kagome laughed. "No, but that's a good one." She met the eyes of her friends. "It means that Naraku is up to something. If we get in that tower, we might find something."

Miroku sighed. "Too bad we don't know how to get in there."

"You know where it is?" Sango asked.

"Yeah," nodded Miroku. "It's on the south side of the castle. When I made my rounds to make sure everyone is working safely, I pass it. Luckily though, there were no guards, but I did sense something protecting the door. I believe it's a barrier. It's not powerful; it seems to be there to only let certain people through. "

Kagome nodded. Even if they didn't know how to get in, it felt good knowing at least where it was. She wondered where that key could be hidden. She just hoped that the barrier would allow her to safely pass.

"I'll look for the key in Nozomu's room." Kagome spoke. "He might have hid it somewhere in there."

Sango sighed and turned to her friend with concern. "Just be careful, alright?"

Kagome nodded. "Then we'll leave it until next sunset," She glanced up at the moonless night. "It's getting late and we should be inside castle walls. There are worse things out there."

"Bye, Kagome." Ayame whispered, waving and walking with Sango back into the castle. Miroku followed them, giving a word of caution to Kagome as she was looking for the key. She nodded, listening and went the opposite way, back through the small door she had found that led to stairs and to her room.

Kagome quickly moved through her room, going to the door that connected her room with Nozomu's. She wondered what type of business Nozomu would have that he didn't need her. Somehow, those words made her angry. Shaking the feeling, she opened the door slowly, hoping with all her might that Nozomu was not there to assume that she had been looking for _him_.

Strangely, he was not there at all. Kagome opened the door all the way, eyebrows scrunched in confusion. If he wasn't here, then where could he be? She shook the thought out of her mind. She was here to look for the key and nothing else. She started near his bed and sighed at all the cleaning she would have to do afterward.

She pulled sheets, threw pillows, opened drawers, opened closets and threw everything on the floor in hopes of finding the key. She looked in small boxes, through clothes and under furniture, but she found nothing. Angry at having found nothing, she returned everything to how it was and by that time, it was late and she was tired.

Walking back into her room with dejection, she threw herself on her bed. Where in world could that stupid key be? She wished it would just materialize in front of her. Getting up to search for her night clothes, she moved to her dresser. She opened them too fast though, and something fell out onto the floor. Bending down to pick it up, she noticed something was weird about the wall behind her dresser. She got up and pushed the dresser as much as she could, until she could finally see the deformity of the wall. Something was sticking out.

Adrenaline pushing through her veins, she tried pulling the rectangle out. It took a couple of tries to get it free, but she finally did. The piece of the wall she had taken out was a small box that had been placed as part of the wall. She opened the lid, a key at the bottom with a small note.

Kagome quickly opened it. "Spare key to Tower," She breathed. This was it. She had found it and now she could go to the tower. Only one thought stopped her; what was the key doing here in the first place?

Kagome sighed, knowing the answer almost as fast as she thought the question. Nozomu must've known that if anyone had found out that there was something he wanted to hide in the south-side tower that they would look in his room and that he ever lost the original key, he would need to find the spare quickly. Why not put it in the room where he stored the women who he took advantage of?

Grabbing the key from the box, she ran out from her room, forgetting her clothes and her exhaustion. Her feet padded on the wooden floor of the castle as she ran through the corridors. She knew where the south side of the castle was and got there as fast as she could, candles flickering from when she passed. She made it to the doors that led outside the south side. Kagome instinctively knew that she would find the tower outside.

Looking around, she grabbed a candle stick that had been left to burn out. It had enough to last. She hesitated as she remembered what Miroku said about a barrier. It was now or never, all she could do was hope that the barrier would let her pass. Kagome practically squealed in excitement when nothing happened. The doors were loud as she opened them and Kagome cursed. Glancing around to make sure no one had seen her or heard her, she closed the doors as quickly as she could. She looked around and her eyes found the tower easily; it was the tallest thing she could see for miles around.

The tower was not attached to the castle; in fact, it looked like it had been an addition because the stone didn't look as old as the castle's. She saw the steps that led to the top and she gingerly placed her foot on it, testing the strength of the stone. Confident that the stone would not crumble under weight, she climbed up, covering the flame as the wind blew. She came to the door and she took a deep breath as she took out the key. She inserted the key, turning it and hearing the click that meant the door was open. She pushed it, careful not to make a sound. Holding up her candle to see, her eyes adjusted.

She was shocked to see what was actually inside the tower.

Naraku sat in the study that was soon going to become his when he saw someone outside. He got up and moved to the window, squinting as he saw a flicker of light go up the steps of the tower he had locked Nozomu a few hours before. He couldn't believe his eyes. Who could possibly be there at this hour?

He rushed to his Nozomu's room, finding not a thing out of place. He went into the slave girl's room, having a hunch that she was not there. He was right. Instead he found her furniture moved and hissed when he saw the piece of paper on the floor. He grabbed it and crumpled it.

"The spare key." He spat. The girl had found it.

He was about to go after her, but then decided against it. He would watch this play out, instead, hoping that Nozomu would find out on his own. Maybe then he would kill the girl for having found out his most best kept secret. He didn't have to do any of the work. Then, with her out of the way, he could continue his plan.

He smiled. He was getting closer to domination every day.

Kagome covered her mouth so her scream wouldn't be heard. A man, with long jet-black hair and violet eyes stared back at her.

Of all things, she would have never thought that Nozomu would keep a man trapped inside a tower. She glanced around, her heart rate returning to normal. There was no food, no blanket and the poor man was chained to the wall. She pressed her lips together in anger. Nozomu couldn't be this cruel, could he?

_Oh yes he can._

"Who are you?" The beautiful man asked, his eyebrows scrunching in confusion.

Kagome raised an eyebrow. "I should be asking you that." She was careful to get near him and realized that the man looked confused even more. "My name's Kagome. What's yours?"

"Inuyasha," He paused, in deep thought. "I-I think."

Kagome looked at him like he was stupid. "You think? How do you not know your own name?"

Inuyasha shrugged, not looking away from Kagome. "I'm not as sure anymore. Nobody has called me by my name in a long time."

Kagome sighed, sympathy winning out. She sat next to him, setting the candle on the floor and watching as the shadows danced in the small tower room. "Do you remember anything else apart from that? Like why you're here in this tower chained to a wall?"

"No," Inuyasha shook his head. "I just wake up and I'm here. Every time."

"What do you mean 'wake up'?" Kagome asked, placing stray hair behind her ear.

"I mean, I just wake up." Inuyasha shrugged again. "I don't know why I'm always chained either."

Kagome sighed. "Well, have you had anything to eat?"

"No." Inuyasha shook his head. "I never eat anything here anyway. I've come to not expect miracles."

Kagome stood up. "I think I picked up some bread when I was in the kitchen last." She dug in her dress pockets and found a piece of bread that was still soft and white. She held it out to Inuyasha who took it hungrily.

"Wow," Inuyasha exclaimed through a full mouth. "This is really good!"

Kagome laughed, sitting next to Inuyasha again. "Well, we do have a great baker. He's the cook too, so you could say he feeds just about everyone in the castle."

"Castle?"

"Yeah, castle." Kagome looked at Inuyasha. "You do know that you're in a tower that's on castle grounds, right?"

"How could I? I'm telling you that each time I wake up, I'm in here." He bit another piece of the bread. "Plus, the window there," He pointed to a window that didn't face the castle. "doesn't give a view of anything, even if I could get up."

"That's weird." Kagome muttered to herself. "Why would he have you in here?"

"He who?"

"Nozomu, of course!" Kagome exclaimed. "The man who has you here, the horrible king that destroyed my life."

"Seems someone is pretty bitter."

"Shut up." Kagome glared at him. "You don't know what I've been through."

Inuyasha finished the bread and glanced at her. "You could tell me, then. I've got nothing but time."

Kagome sighed, wondering if she should tell this strange man her past. Seeing no immediate danger, she drew in a breath and started her story. She told him how she had lived a peaceful life, with her family and how she saw her mother die in front of her. She told him how she had lost her brother, passed almost through every country she knew of to find him and to find work. She had gone through many lords and ladies until she landed with Lady Midoriko.

"She was like my mother," Kagome whispered softly, looking away from Inuyasha. "I met my best friends there. Life was better."

"Then what happened?" Inuyasha asked.

Kagome smiled bitterly. "Nozomu happened. He raided my village, killing everyone. He let me live and my friends at my request."

"Then he must not be that bad."

"You don't know why he wants me," Kagome bit out, angry. "He only has me to fulfill his carnal desires, the pleasures of life that he can only get from a woman."

Inuyasha turned away, blushing slightly. "I'm sorry." He then added. "Have you…?"

"No," Kagome shook her head. "He's tried, but he can't do it."

"How are you friends?" He asked.

Kagome shrugged. "They're okay. As long as I don't do anything stupid to defy Nozomu or something like that, they'll be fine."

"Have you found your brother?"

She shook her head again. "Not yet. Being here impedes my search for him." Kagome looked at him thoughtfully. "What about you? Don't you have family or friends?"

Inuyasha was quiet, thinking about his answer. "I don't really remember anything about myself or anyone who could've been around me." He smiled and looked at her. "Your life story is much more interesting though."

"I guess, if you call my terror-stricken life interesting." She rolled her eyes. Glancing at the window, she noticed that it was getting lighter. She couldn't believe she had spent so much time here. Turning to Inuyasha, she stood up.

"I have to go," She glanced at the door. "I have to be ready for Nozomu or he'll be angry. Will you be here tomorrow?" She felt silly for asking that question, but for some reason she did.

He shook his head. "I don't think so." But then he glanced up quickly. "But I'm here every new moon."

"How do you know it's a new moon?"

"I just do." He shrugged again, something Kagome was now getting used to.

"Well, then." She gripped the handle. "I'll come back on the next new moon and I'll bring you some food. Maybe a blanket or two." She glanced behind her and smiled. "Bye, Inuyasha."

He smiled, and the act made Kagome's heart pound a little faster. "Bye, Kagome. Thanks for being here." Then he added, "And for the bread too."

Kagome smiled back and opened the door. "You're welcome." She slipped away quietly, the last thing she saw being Inuyasha's face. She closed the door and locked it. She felt bad for leaving Inuyasha behind, but she couldn't just free him. How would she explain to the others that she had seen a man in the tower? They were getting nowhere. Inuyasha was not a clue but another piece that they had to mash into the rest of the pieces of the puzzle.

Walking down the steps, her thoughts were on Inuyasha. Was he lying or did he really not remember? He had seemed sincere, so Kagome believed him. But then, how could he not know anything about himself or his situation? It was truly baffling. Why did Nozomu have him locked up in there? What did it all mean? Did he have something to do with prophecy?

Kagome gripped the key in her hand. Instead of answers, finding out what was in the tower only raised more questions than it answered.

**TBC**

**Review! Your views keep us going.**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Hey you guys! Here's another chapter for ya ;D**

**Rockerchick16: This lovely chapter was written by Daichilover with the ending by me. Please enjoy and remember to review for us!**

**Chapter 13: Troubling feelings**

Naraku's procession started at the crack of dawn. Knowing that his master would be changing soon, he set out to the tower, key in hand. He had stayed up all night, waiting until the wench had finally left. She was lucky that she left before the sun had come up or she would have gotten a real surprise. Not to mention she'd be dead. Naraku sighed. He wondered why he hadn't thought about that before.

Climbing the stairs easily, he met the front door. He could hear movement inside and unlocked the door, revealing Nozomu, red blue eyes open and alert. Naraku bowed.

"My lord."

Nozomu tugged at the chains. "Release me," He commanded. "I am tired being tethered to this stupid wall."

Naraku nodded, walking up to him and using the same key he had opened the door with to unlock the chains that bound the notorious king. They snapped open and he watched as Nozomu rubbed his slightly chaffed wrists. For a second, he was completely still, as if he had noted something different in the air. Naraku froze, wondering if he would figure out that the girl had been in here. If he ever found out that he had seen the girl come in, he would end up dead as well.

"I smell something," Nozomu sniffed the air, turning around. "Do you smell it?"

"Not at all sir," Naraku gave Nozomu the robe he had carried all the way there, helping him dress into it. "It's probably only the smells from the outside."

Nozomu, to Naraku's surprise, did not press the issue further. Following the king out of the tower, he locked the door behind them and hurried after him. Nozomu kept walking.

"Has there been any events while I was gone?"

Naraku shook his head, walking ahead of his master as they reached his room. He opened the door so that Nozomu could walk in, but before Naraku could walk in to discuss some issues, Nozomu turned around.

"Do not disturb me for the rest of the day."

Naraku, with all the pain of his pride, bowed low. He hated being treated like a servant. "Yes sir."

Nozomu waved him away with a clawed hand. "Go."

Naraku turned the other way, wondering why Nozomu wanted to be alone, since what he usually did was…

_Ah,_ Naraku thought, _he wants to try and remember his night again._ He laughed, shaking his head. Nozomu knew he could not remember his human nights and laughed at the ignorance of his master once more. He didn't remember because that's what he, Naraku, had wanted in the first place. That way, he wouldn't be able to connect so well with his human emotions and the half-demon inside him would be locked away for another moon cycle. He smiled.

He loved being the one in control.

XXX

Nozomu slammed the door closed, walking to his bed. Laying down, he felt the headache that always came when he tried to remember the previous new moon night. He had only felt the need to do this every once in a while, but for some reason, his mind kept telling him that something very important had occurred last night, or something like it.

He was sure he had smelled something in that tower, something he had never smelled there before. It had smelled familiar and just the thought of it made him smile, an actual smile. But his smile was wiped off fast. Could it have been that someone had found out his secret? He sat up straight, deciding that it was impossible. No one knew about his curse, not a soul. Besides, he had hid the key in where now one would think to look.

In that thought, he walked towards the door that connected his room with Kagome's. He felt a need to see her, and for some reason, the feeling he felt didn't sit well with him. It was a sign that he was probably going in the wrong direction. Figuring he could do whatever the hell he wanted, he opened the door.

Kagome lay there on her bed, sleeping the morning away. Nozomu walked over to her dresser, moved it and looked behind it at the wall. The little piece of the wall that he had taken out was just as he had left it; not a speck was out of place. He sighed. He probably just imagined the stupid smell.

"What are you doing?" cried a voice in the room. He turned around, only raising an eyebrow.

Kagome, who was now awake and alert, pulled up the sheets to cover the flimsy nightgown she had on.

Nozomu didn't answer and just looked at her. He had always had a thing about picking beautiful women, but Kagome's beauty was more than skin deep. She had fire inside her, a free spirit that hated to be caged. He loved watching her try to break free. Even with the sheets, he could still see the paleness of her shoulders, the curve of her neck. The feeling from before came back and he was on his feet in a second.

"Do you deny your king entry?" He asked, walking towards the door. Kagome's eyes followed him and she scowled.

"You are not my king," She bit out. "I told you that already."

Nozomu's gaze hardened. He _would_ make this girl understand who he was and who she was. His previous attempts had failed, so what could he do now?

"Get dressed." He opened the door. "We're going for a walk in the gardens."

He slammed the door closed. If she didn't yield to his strength, maybe—if he played his cards right—she would yield to his heart. He laughed at the thought.

If he'd still had one.

XXX

Kagome threw the covers off of her as she jumped out of her bed, angry at the fact that Nozomu had snuck into her room and then demanded her so quickly. The last thing she wanted to do was to be alone with him, especially since he hadn't tried anything the past few weeks. Huffing, she decided to just obey him and find something nice to wear outside. A thought came to her. If they passed through the gardens, she just might see Ayame or Rin. The thought made her smile. _Just do it for them,_ she thought, _Nothing like seeing your friends early in the morning_!

As she looked for clothes, she cringed at the revealing dresses that had already been in there. She had brought little, and certainly nothing to be worn while accompanying a king, even she if didn't think he was one. Finally, at the very back of her dresser, she found a dress that didn't make her run for the hills. It was longer sleeved than most, covered her chest enough so that Nozomu couldn't get any ideas and the length was perfect. It was a pale blue and white dress, made from a very soft material Kagome had never seen before.

When she tried it on, it was like it had been tailored just for her. The bodice was not constricting as most dresses tended to do and though there was no obvious design of pearls or anything of the sort, the embroidery was exquisite and breathtaking. She decided to keep it and wandered to her mirror, brushing out the tangles in her hair as quickly as she could without hurting herself too much.

She sighed as she remembered the night before. The intrusion of Nozomu had made her forget momentarily, but now she could see Inuyasha again, in her mind's eye. She wondered what happened to him when it wasn't the new moon. She wondered how she could even tell this to Miroku, let alone find a good explanation for everyone else. It was weird, just plain weird. Her hair brushed, she decided to leave it down. She hurried, slipping on a pair of white slippers, not wanting Nozomu to yell at her for being late.

He was outside her room, waiting against the wall. He held out his arm, prompting her to take it as they walked. Kagome mentally sighed, but put her arm through his regardless. The path to the gardens was short, but very silent. Kagome nor Nozomu had spoken the whole way there. Kagome, because she was thinking about Inuyasha again, and Nozomu because he just had no idea what to do or say.

He had never used this tactic before, appealing to a woman's feelings. That was far below on his list of priorities when dealing with women. It had always been that way, but if he wanted get close enough to Kagome to even lay a finger on her, he had to do it. Nozomu's mind kept telling him to stay strong and cope with it, but another part (a very, very small part) was actually a little happy with the way things were going. Nozomu sighed. He was getting nowhere. At least when they would reach the gardens, they could talk about the flowers. In fact, they had finally made it.

Kagome stifled a gasp when she was face to face with the garden. Beautiful flowers stood tall and bright, their stems green and lush, the aroma almost making Kagome sigh in content, intoxicating her senses. She had no idea that the flowers here were so sweet or so pretty. She momentarily forgot the man beside her, unlocking her arm and walking straight to the pink primroses, which had been native in her country. The smell was still the same, the texture soft and light, the colors vibrant and alive—something her mother who had loved these flowers before wasn't. She wished she could pluck one for herself, but she dared not.

Nozomu watched all of this curiously. He didn't know that women liked flowers, let alone Kagome. It was almost astonishing when she let go of his arm, without his permission, but his curiosity told him to shut up and observe. He was mesmerized with the fact that flowers could really make a woman happy.

Nozomu, trying to think of something to say. "You like those flowers?" he asked, hesitating a little. He really had no idea how to do this.

Kagome tensed and raised herself back up. "Yes, I do." She fingered the petals. "They were my mother's favorite."

"There are a lot more flowers down the path." Nozomu said, holding out his arm again. Kagome wanted to refuse, but for the safety of her friends and to satisfy her own curiosity, she took it and let him stroll her through the garden. Her mind wandered as she walked alongside the garden, watching the workers trim and beautify the garden even more.

_I wonder what Inuyasha might think of this, _she thought idly. How long has it been since he saw flowers like these? What did it feel like waking up in a dark, cold tower every new moon of your life? She wondered about his past, what he could've done to make Nozomu angry enough to lock him inside a tower with no food or warmth. She felt pity for him; to be on Nozomu's bad side was almost to be in hell. She hoped she would never see that side of him.

Nozomu watched as Kagome's gaze glazed over and it was obvious that she was thinking about something, or maybe, someone else. He knew that by that far off look in her eye that it was important. She was even frowning slightly, which calmed him as much as it alarmed him. He wanted to be the only thing she thought of; he wanted to dominate her senses to the point where she couldn't see, hear, taste or breathe anything that wasn't him. He _wanted_ her. He needed her acknowledgment, her notice, her acceptance.

But he wasn't getting it.

All this, Kagome was oblivious to, until Nozomu grabbed her and roughly took her to the garden's maze. She prepared herself for an attack, hoping and willing that she could fight him off. Instead of trying to touch her or kiss her, he hissed.

"Who the hell are you thinking about?"

The question threw Kagome off-guard. She had expected something much different; it took her a couple of seconds to reach a coherent answer.

"What?"

"I said," he growled, closing in on her to the point where they were almost nose to nose. "Who the hell are you thinking about?"

Kagome flared up immediately, her spark rekindling. "Why is it your business who I think about? You're not anyone I have to respond to!"

Nozomu restrained himself. He hated defiance directed towards him, but he couldn't do anything about Kagome. Besides, she hadn't answered his question.

"Damn it, just say who you were thinking about!"

Kagome, somehow, was able to slip from his grasp. She knew that he wouldn't leave her alone until she told him, but she intuitively knew that she could not say that it was Inuyasha; something in her gut told her that would be disastrous. So she came up with the second best answer, although it pained her a little because it was a lie.

"I was thinking about Rin." Kagome had only thought of her this morning. She felt bad that she hadn't thought about her much since then.

"Rin?" Nozomu repeated dumbly.

"Yes, Rin." Kagome nodded, thinking up her story as she went. "I just get worried about her because she works in the garden and she's still a very young girl."

Nozomu, finally regaining his composure, nodded. "Yes, well—"

"I trust you should be satisfied with my answer." Kagome cut across before he could say another syllable.

His only response was to pull her out of the maze and keep on their walk, only now there were stares as the two of them passed the workers.

"Is that the new mistress?" Kagome heard one of them say.

"Aye, it is. Poor girl." Another shook his head.

One of the girls giggled. "What do you think they were doing all alone in that maze?"

Kagome sighed in disbelief and irritation. She didn't want to be seen with Nozomu, and the conclusions they were getting to was all wrong. She wasn't his mistress and she certainly wouldn't do anything with him in a demented maze!

She turned her head to look at Nozomu. If she had heard their whispers, he certainly must have. Why wasn't he saying a thing? She decided not to ask, in fear that he would actually do something to the workers. Rin crossed her mind again and she sighed deeply. She dearly missed her. If only Kagome could be sure that Rin would be alright, she wouldn't have to worry. Ayame had assured her once that they were treated well by some Kouga guy. She prayed that they took good care of little Rin especially.

Nozomu watched as Kagome took on that look again, but now he knew why. The little girl he had picked up along with her other friends that night he had taken Kagome was the cause of it. At least it wasn't some other male. He had already made up his mind that he needed to make sure she wouldn't worry about her, so that she wouldn't think of her anymore. The opportunity presented itself almost as he thought it.

"Kagome!" called a voice. The girl in question turned, looking for the person who had yelled her name. A smile broke out on her face as she saw Ayame, Rin hiding behind her. Kagome ran to them, almost forgetting where she was and who she was with.

"Ayame," she hugged her friend tight with the joy of seeing her. "It's so nice to see you."

"You too, Kagome." Ayame said brightly. She then whispered, "Did you find what was in that tower?"

"Not now," Kagome glanced behind her, as she saw Nozomu near. "I'll talk to you guys later about that."

Ayame nodded, silencing when Nozomu finally reached them. Kagome noticed Rin behind her and held out her arms. Rin, glancing at Nozomu for just a second, ran into her arms.

"I missed you, Kagome."

"I missed you as well, Rin." Kagome smiled. "How has everything been?"

Rin frowned. "Not that great. Kouga got sick so he hasn't been talking to us or helping us. There's this really mean guy that makes us work until my feet and my hands hurt." She held up her hands to show the cuts she had gotten from various thorns. "I just got these today."

Kagome gasped, grabbing at Rin's hand and looking up at Ayame. "Is it true?"

Ayame nodded. "The second in command isn't all that nice. We work from sun up to sun down with only one break in between."

"I wish I could take you with me," Kagome crushed Rin to her chest. "Then you could help me instead and you wouldn't have to work so hard."

Marveled at how quick Kagome's mood could change, Nozomu watched. Maybe, if he said that he could give the little girl a room and let her work with Kagome, she might not think so badly of him. He knew she was bothered by those comments that were said. He had watched her to gauge her reaction and he didn't like it. She still needed some warming up to.

"Take the girl with you." Nozomu said gruffly. "She can help you with your own chores. You don't do them very well, anyway." He added the insult just because he felt that she would figure him out if he didn't.

Kagome didn't take any notice. She looked up at him, with an expression that made Nozomu almost blush. "Really?"

"Do it or I'll change my mind," He roughly said, gathering himself again. No one could see what he was trying to do, not until he got what he wanted.

Kagome, happy beyond relief, led Rin away, promising Ayame to take care of her and to bring her to visit. She could tell by her expression that Ayame seemed relieved that Rin was going somewhere better for her. She herself could hardly believe Nozomu had actually said she could take her. She squeezed Rin's hand and gave her a big smile as they walked out of the garden. It didn't take long for them to get back to the castle.

"Where is that head of servants when I need him?" Nozomu growled.

"You mean Miroku?" Kagome asked. She had almost forgotten his job description.

Nozomu raised an eyebrow. "How do you know his name?"

"We're friends," Kagome shrugged. "Does it matter?"

For a moment, Nozomu seemed like he wanted to say something, but Miroku appeared around the corner.

"Your highness," Miroku bowed. "Is there anything I can do for you?" It was custom to offer your services to the king while in his presence. Kagome didn't bother with it at all.

"I want you to prepare a room for this child," He pushed Rin towards Miroku. "The room next to Kagome's will be suitable enough."

Miroku nodded and bowed again, but not before locking eyes with Kagome. "I shall do as you command, your majesty. "Come," He motioned to Rin, taking her hand and walking along the path he was already on.

Kagome watched as they left and turned to Nozomu, unsure of how to proceed. "Thank you."

Nozomu was surprised to hear those words from her lips. He didn't know what to say. "Y-your welcome." He stammered. Was that appropriate to say to her? Did he need to say more?

"I didn't know you could be..." Kagome struggled for the right word, trying to explain what she was thinking. "… that kind." She folded her arms, almost as if she couldn't believe what she was about to say, "I didn't think you were capable of something like that."

Nozomu, despite himself, smiled. "There are many sides you haven't seen, Kagome." He closed the space between them, lifting her chin with his finger. "Why don't you explore them?"

Kagome whacked his hand away from her, but he could see the blush on her face. "I'm not interested, Nozomu." She made up for the blush by glaring at him with a fury that knoweth no hell. "And I never will."

Nozomu shrugged. From the sound of how hard her heart was beating, she just might, if she wasn't paying attention. "I'm not finished with you just yet."

Kagome huffed and turned away from him, running to her room. She opened the door and slammed it, listening to the happy sounds Rin was making in the room beside hers. Her heart beat against her ribcage and she pressed her hand against her chest to suppress it. What was wrong with her? Just one good thing and now she was feeling nervous around Nozomu? That was exactly what he wanted. How could she be so gullible?

Either way, she was just glad Rin was going to be next to her now. She could keep track of her this way and Nozomu would have less opportunities to harass her if Rin was always with her. She sighed and fell on her bed, tired. It was still early, but she hadn't had much sleep since Nozomu had gruffly woken her up only a short time after she had left the tower. She closed her eyes, lids heavy, sleep overtaking her quickly.

_Kagome woke up on a cold hard ground. She stood up and glancing around, called out. "Is anyone there?"_

_"You're so close," said a voice, one that sounded familiar now. It was the same voice as always, but now she felt she had actually heard it somewhere else. "And yet so far away."_

_"Is it you again? Tell how I can help you!" She demanded._

_She saw the room fill with fog, watching as a familiar silhouette walked towards her. His gold eyes gleamed in the fog. _

_"I can't tell you," he said. "But you're almost there."_

_Kagome couldn't stand the pain and anguish in his voice. She tried to grab at him, but it was like trying to capture smoke. She felt nothing in front of her._

_"Why? Why do you keep doing this?" She asked, shaking her head. It was too much. _

_She saw the gold eyes blink and watched as a clawed hand appeared, touching her cheek with the back of it. Kagome was frozen on the spot._

_"You're so beautiful," He sighed and Kagome shivered as he ran a clawed finger along the lining of her chin. "So fragile. I'd hate to see what he might do to you."_

_"Who are you talking about?" Kagome pressed, snapping out of her stupor. "He who?"_

_The hand that had just been making her skin tingle suddenly grabbed Kagome's own small hand. "Save me, please. You have everything you need to do it."_

_"I don't even know what I need!"_

_Suddenly, the fog dissipated and everything turned pitch black. She felt something on her lips for just a second, but then it was gone._

Kagome bolted up from her bed. She was sweating, panting, her dress all wrinkly from tossing and turning. She felt a pain that wasn't hers in her chest and it hurt so much that she started to cry, tears rolling down one by one. She wondered if this is what the voice kept feeling and now, since she had been so close to him tonight, the feelings had transferred to her.

Her hands touched her lips; there was no doubt in her mind that she had been kissed.

Kagome looked outside to see the sun was setting. No time to ponder on the dream. She still had to tell everyone what she found last night. It was best to check on Rin. She made her way to the room next door, but found it empty. _Maybe Miroku took her to the others since I was asleep._ Kagome decided to grab some food from the kitchen and make her way to her friends.

Totosai smiled. "Kagome, it's nice to see you again. Your friends stopped by already for their meal. Here is yours." He handed her a bowl of soup and bread.

"Thank you Totosai." She quickly finished off her dinner before bidding Totosai a goodnight and going to the slave quarters.

As she neared Sango and Ayame's room, she heard giggling, glad that Rin was having fun. Kagome knocked on the door and smiled when Sango opened.

"Kagome!" Sango grabbed her hand and pulled her inside. Miroku was sitting on the floor with Rin on his lap still giggling. Ayame was to his right laughing at their antics. Rin spotted Kagome and jumped off Miroku's lap and ran to her.

"Well, hello to you too Rin. Didn't I see you not to long ago?"

Rin grinned up at her. "Yes, but I missed you so much. Thank you so much for the room."

"It's all thanks to Miroku."

"No," he put in. "I was only following orders."

"Well, thank you anyway." Kagome took the open space in front of Miroku. Sango had closed the door and sat next to Miroku. Rin went back to her seat with Miroku.

Now, everyone was together. It was time to get down to business. "Okay, I know everyone wants to know what happened." Nods. "Well, I found the spare key to the tower. It was in my room inside the wall."

"Well, that was a dumb spot to hide it." Sango replied.

"Nozomu doesn't keep anyone within that room long so I doubt he thought Kagome would find it." Miroku explained. That was the same conclusion Kagome came up with.

"Yea, also entering through the barrier was easy. All I did was passed through and nothing happened."

"Interesting. There may be more to you than what it seems Kagome."

"You think so Miroku?" He nodded. Kagome was quiet for several seconds, digesting the new information. Could it be that she was possessed with a strange ability? It was possible; she must have something since she was the girl in the prophecy. The Fates may have given her something to protect herself. Why was it showing now? That was something to ponder about later. It was best to focus on one thing at a time. "Inside the tower, I found a man." Everyone looked around, confused. "I was shocked when I first saw him. He was chained to the wall. Inuyasha is his name. He looked so sad and confused."

"Why would Nozomu keep a man in the tower? Was he human?" asked Ayame.

"Yes, I asked him several question, but he didn't know anything." Kagome looked down at her hands. Her mind wondered back to the night before. To the poor soul. "Inuyasha told me that he only wakes up there during the new moon. He didn't even now he was in a tower. He doesn't even know who Nozomu is or why he is always chained." Saying the information out loud only drew more questions. She was glad she wasn't the only one lost.

"This Inuyasha guy must be important to Nozomu. The only question is why." said Sango.

"Ugh!" Ayame rubbed her temple. "When we solve one problem, twenty more pop up. When we take one step forward, we end up taking three steps back."

"Yes, I know. Sorry for not getting anything useful." They were at a dead end again. Kagome wished she gather better information.

"No Kagome. This is important. Every little bit counts." Miroku gave her a smile which she gladly returned. "You said he only appears during the full moon?" She nodded. "Interesting." He tapped his chin, deep in thought. "I most look into this."

"Yes, thank you Miroku."

"Anyone have any clues on what we should do next?" asked Ayame.

"We still have little to go on to put an actual plan together. I think we should continue to gather information; also, we need to keep an eye on Naraku. He most likely is planning something. We still don't know what he is after or why yet." They wonder what Naraku had planned next.

**Don't forget to review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Another lovely chapter written by ****Daichilover and I. I hope you guys like it and don't forget to review!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Inuyasha or characters. I do own the prophecy mentioned throughout the chapters. Inuyasha's demon name Nozomu: Desire.**

**Chapter 14: Mirror Image**

Naraku made his way to his sanctuary, the only place he felt comfortable. He was finally able to leave Nozomu. His plans were at a standstill for the moment, at least, until some type of new lead came up. His hand clenched when he thought that, Midoriko, the one person that knew where the jewel lie, was dead, killed by him. He needed to control his temper if he was going to make any progress. It was tiring to continue searching for the jewel and come up with nothing. Sighing, Naraku sat at his desk. Reaching into the top draw, he opened it and pulled at a small portrait. He remembered the time when he was so close to the jewel. It had been just a little out of his reach then. He recollected the memory when he was first told about the Shikon no Tama and the power it possessed. That was the day that changed his life. It was the day that for the first time, he felt powerful, and could accomplish almost anything his hear desired.

His finger trailed over the face in the portrait. As much as he hated that woman, he could not forget her. She had paved the way for him, his Kikyo. The foolish woman told her deepest secret to him. His thoughts wondered to years ago when he was just blooming into adulthood, the day he met Kikyo. His eyes closed as sank into the memory.

_A barely twenty-one year old Naraku sprinted through the forest with a sack over his shoulders. He tripped over a falling branch, bringing him down to his knees. Wincing, he willed himself to continue. To be caught was to be murdered. Naraku valued his life to much. Men from the village were chasing him for stealing. He scrambled up, cursing those stupid men. He had to get by somehow! Living alone, he was forced to make rash decisions to stay alive. It wasn't like he stole a lot, just some potatoes, carrots, rice, and some of the dry meat hanging. The village had plenty of food for the winter. He didn't._

"_Get him!" He heard the villagers yell._

_Naraku looked behind him and found several of the villagers closing in on him, and quickly. He glanced at their weapons. They were carrying bows and arrows. A few even had swords clutched in their hands._

"_All this commotion over some food." Naraku mumbled under his breath. An arrow whizzed pass him, hitting a tree. Naraku felt something trickle down his cheek. He cursed, his cheek was bleeding. He wondered how he was going to escape the villagers now._

"_Halt!" yelled a voice. A raven haired female stood in front of him with an arrow posed. Naraku was ready to attack, but realized she was aiming behind him._

_The villagers stopped dead in their tracks._

"_This man stole from us!" One of the men said, pointing a bent finger at Naraku._

"_Yeah!" Another villager shouted. "We will not let it go unpunished!"_

_Naraku growled and was ready to retort when the female responded. "What is it that this man stole?" She glanced at him briefly._

"_Food. We're getting ready for winter."_

_The female looked at Naraku, who straightened under her stare, gripping the bag. She reached in her pocket and walked up to the villagers. Pulling a small leather pouch, she poured several coins into her hand and held them out the villagers._

"_This should do for the food." She dropped the coins in one of the villager's hands. "I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive him for his actions."_

"_Thank you, Priestess!" _

_They glared in Naraku's direction before turning and heading back to their village. Once they were out of sight, she turned around and began walking away. _

_She spoke, her back turned to Naraku. "I hope what you have was worth it. It is better to earn than steal."_

"_I didn't ask for your help." He shot back bitterly, but she continued walking. _

"_There is a village east of here if you need a place to stay for the winter. Ask for Kikyo."_

"_I don't need help!" She waved, never turning to him._

_Naraku was furious. Never had he met such an arrogant woman before. She was asking for something terrible and by Kami, she was going to get it._

_He waited several days before going to the village. Keeping to himself, he observed the daily life. Lots of children playing, but everyone was getting ready for winter. He learned that Kikyo was the village priestess and was highly favored and well respected. He recognized her as the one who helped him earlier. Seems that she was talking about herself. Keeping his distance, he watched as she took care of everyone. She aided the sick with remedies and herbs. She would watch the village children and protect the village from attacks. Slowly, Naraku realized that Kikyo was something special._

"_I hope you have enjoyed following me." Kikyo said from her spot under the tree. The weather was getting colder, yet she was unfazed as she stared down at the young man._

_Naraku cursed, she knew all along he was there. He stepped out of his hiding place and went to sit next to her. "These villagers are weak." He stated._

"_To you maybe," Kikyo sighed. "But they are strong where it counts." She spoke, not looking at him, but continued to gaze at the scenery in front her. "Were you planning to steal from these 'weak' villagers?"_

_He ignored her question. "Why do you protect them?"_

_She finally turned and looked at him. Her eyes pierced him, "Because this is my home and I want to protect the people I love."_

"_That makes you weak."_

_Kikyo laughed. "Perhaps, but it also makes you strong. You fight with all your strength when you have someone to protect."_

_Naraku frowned. "I don't think so."_

_"Fine," She stood and faced Naraku. "I will show you that what I say is the truth. Do you think you're up for the challenge?"_

_"I never back down from a challenge." Naraku puffed his chest out._

_"Good." She smiled, beginning to walk away with Naraku._

_"My name is Naraku." He told her._

_She paused and waved her arm in front of her home. "Welcome, Naraku, to my village."_

Naraku smiled at the memory. He was so young and naïve back then. Of course, he was still in love with Kikyo, but she wasn't coming back, well, not yet anyway. Perhaps that was it, if he could somehow communicate or resurrect her, then maybe he could find the jewel. He frowned thinking about it some more. If he found someone to resurrect her, there was a chance his feelings for her would return tenfold. He could not risk ruining his plan.

Kagome popped into his head. Why that slave girl? He wished that Nozomu would get over his obsession with her and kill her already. She was taking up precious time distracting him. Naraku needed him to focus on finding the jewel and nothing else. Besides, he didn't want to risk the wrath of Nozomu just yet.

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"Kagome," Nozomu appeared in Kagome's room once more and again, unannounced. "Join me for dinner. Now." There was no mistaking the authority in his voice. He was going to have dinner with this woman whether she liked it or not.

Kagome put down the book she had been reading to Rin, hoping to put her to bed early. She glared at the demon king for interrupting them. "No." She said simply, returning to the story.

"No? What do you mean 'no'?" exclaimed the offended king.

Kagome, knowing the temper Nozomu had on him, patted Rin on the head. "Rin, you should go to your room now. Good night." She kissed Rin on her temple.

"Okay," Rin agreed, giving Kagome a quick hug and running out to her own room. Nozomu was surprised at the gentleness Kagome showed her. All she showed him was defiance and attitude. He was trying to change all that though.

"Now," She turned to Nozomu, arms crossed and the same expression she always gave Nozomu when she didn't feel like complying to his wishes. "What do you want?"

"I already told you!" He shouted. "You. Me. Dinner. Now." He put some harshness in his voice so that it sounded more like an order and not a request.

"What makes you think I want to dine with you?" She scoffed at him. "Besides, I'm already dressed to go to sleep." She put a finger on her chin in mock remembrance, "If I remember correctly, you _did _give me an early wakeup call today and so I _must_ catch up on my sleep."

Nozomu hadn't noticed the nightgown Kagome was wearing until she mentioned it. Now, he wished he hadn't noticed it. It was a little flimsy, and her hair was cast all to one side, but that made Kagome look so good that he could almost devour her right then and there, but he restrained himself. No need to get too excited just yet.

"But, if I recall correctly, you haven't eaten since midday." He played along with her little game.

Kagome was about to open her mouth when instead her stomach growled and answered for her. Nozomu smiled and she didn't like how smug he looked. He grabbed her from behind and pulled her to him, gaining a gasp from Kagome when she realized how close they were.

"See? You're hungry." He whispered into her ear as she tried to writhe away from his grasp. He pulled away, walking to the door to his room. "Meet me in the dining hall in half an hour." He closed the door behind him.

Kagome was still standing where he had left her, still stunned. He had moved away so suddenly that she thought she had actually pushed him, but no, he had pulled away himself. She frowned and wanted to scream at how arrogant that man was. No matter what she did, or what she said, he always came right back to her. Why wouldn't he get the hint and stop trying? She stomped in anger around her room. She didn't even like the damn dresses that were in her wardrobe! She was about to just wear something plain when there was a knock on her door. She walked to it and opened, knowing that if it was Nozomu, he would have already been inside. Instead, Sango stood there with some type of cloth in her hands.

"Sango?" Kagome asked. She never saw her around this part of the castle.

"Hey, Kagome." Sango smiled, walking in when the raven-haired girl stood aside to let her come in. "I was sent by the king with this." She held out her arms. She then leaned in, "Actually, the head maid just didn't want to come so I told I could do it." She rolled her eyes. "She's so lazy for a maid."

"Wait a minute," Kagome held up her hands in confusion. "Who sent the dress?"

"Nozomu." Sango gagged at the name and proceeded to lay out the dress on Kagome's bed. "But I have to admit, he has good taste." She admired the dress Kagome could not see.

"That man," Kagome hissed. "I'm not wearing it!"

Sango turned around and crossed her arms. "Why not?"

"Because he thinks I'll like him if he can persuade me!" Kagome huffed, sitting down on her bed, still refusing to look at the dress. "I don't want anything to do with him."

Sango nodded. "Kagome, I wish I could change this." She frowned and sighed. "It's partly my fault that you're here."

Kagome's mind flashed to when she had only given up herself in exchange for the life of her friends. She shook her head and spoke softly to Sango. "No, Sango. I chose to be here, for you and the others." She held Sango's hand. "I promised myself to take care of you guys."

Sango smiled. "Thanks."

"Can you help me get ready? Nozomu only have me half an hour." She rolled her eyes, standing up.

"Of course." Sango nodded, grabbing the dress and holding it out to Kagome. "You'll look stunning when I'm through with you."

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"Wow," Kagome twirled around in front of the mirror in front of her. "I don't even recognize myself!"

"Admit it, Kagome. I'm a miracle worker."

Kagome smiled as she looked at her reflection. Sango was right about the taste. The long-sleeved dress had a simple white bodice of a material Kagome had never seen in her life. The laces were red and they matched the red skirt that flowed to the floor. It wasn't too full or too limp, but it had just enough skirts under to make it flow around Kagome effortlessly. Sango had also fashioned her hair, which was now straight and not in its usual waves. Kagome squinted her eyes, almost as if she saw someone else standing there …

"Kagome, hurry up! We took every minute we had, and we don't want Nozomu to be angry at you." Sango pulled her friend out of her trance. She pulled shoes out of nowhere and handed them to Kagome. She slipped on the white shoes and were amazed that they felt nice on her feet. She wondered how she could've lived without this kind of comfort before.

She walked briskly, trying to find the quickest way to the dining hall without being late. As she walked, she heard a door open behind her and heard a name being called. She didn't pay very much attention, but it sounded like the word started with a _K_. She turned around and answered, wondering if they had said her name.

"Yes?"

Instead, a stunned Naraku was behind her, eyes wide and mouth slack. Kagome found it odd and didn't like the way he looked at her. She crossed her arms and repeated herself, albeit harsher and colder.

"_Yes_?" She tapped her foot, wondering if he was ever going to reply. When she saw that he was still in a trance-like state, she turned on her heel and walked out. No doubt the idiot thought she looked ugly or something. She didn't care though, but still wondered why he had looked at her like that.

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"So you're saying we couldn't bring her back even if we tried?" Naraku stood in the small room with an old looking woman. A witch, Urasue was very good at things like this, but she had looked to see if the soul Kikyo had was in use. It was.

Naraku couldn't help but ask the witch about bringing her back. That flashback really had him stumped, but as he turned away from the witch, he thought that it was for the better. He didn't need anyone because he wanted to rule the world alone. Nozomu would be disposed of once he found the jewel. All that was left was to figure out a method to find it once more.

With this in mind, he exited the room, only to find himself with someone he had never thought he would see again.

"Kikyo!" He sort of shouted. It wasn't very loud but the figure that walked ahead turned around. Naraku swore he was seeing a ghost. He couldn't believe the sight before his eyes. She looked just like Kikyo, hair long and straight, eyes with the same piercing gaze he remembered perfectly. The white and red dress made him recall the red and white priestess clothing Kikyo used to wear. She was a mirror image.

"Yes?" Answered the ghost in front of him. Or so he had thought. The slave girl was the one standing in front of him, he couldn't mistake that tone of voice. Always hearing it when she defied Nozomu. He still couldn't get over the fact that she looked so much like Kikyo.

"_Yes_?" The girl said once more before turning around and going down the path she had started to take, leaving Naraku in his jumbled thoughts. Her effect on him dissipated as quickly as it had started, once she was out of his line of sight, of course. He immediately walked back into the room, where the old woman was now gathering her things.

He grabbed her roughly. "Can you tell me where Kikyo's soul is? Who's using it?"

Urasue looked at him with greedy eyes. "I could, but for a fee for the extra information,"

"Done." Naraku agreed hurriedly. He needed to know if that girl was who he thought she was. And if she was, things were going to change. Completely.

Urasue didn't take long in finding the general location of the person who had Kikyo's soul. "You're in luck," She concentrated. "It seems her reincarnation is here in this castle, but I'm not sure who it could be. Her image isn't clear, though I can tell you she is a young woman here."

That was all he needed, that small confirmation that he had been right. And really, when hadn't he been right? Everything was falling into place so easily and he hadn't even seen it! For the first time, he was glad that Nozomu had not killed the slave girl. She posed another opportunity to revamp his plan, but the fact that she looked like Kikyo was what set him on edge. He didn't know how he felt about it.

One thing was for sure though. Nozomu, in no way, could have her.

**Please review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**This lovely chapter was written by Daichilover.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Inuyasha or characters. I do own the prophecy mentioned throughout the chapters. Inuyasha's demon name Nozomu: Desire.**

**Daichi: Here's the next chapter! Review for us! NOTE: Souta and Kagome are closer in age here than in Inuyasha. Probably two years apart, at the most.**

**Chapter 15: Lost and found**

Nozomu stood beside his seat, waiting for the raven-haired beauty to walk in. She was late, but he kept himself cool. He wouldn't win her love if he was always yelling at her. That was the purpose of this dinner. He needed to show he wasn't all bad, even if he didn't believe it himself. What he really wanted, though, was the same as it was in the beginning. He wanted her, maybe even develop something until ultimately he was through with her. Something in him rejected the idea, making him feel like he wanted to keep her around. Still, conquering her and subduing her willingly had become his obsession. He _needed_ her to tell him she wanted him too.

Footsteps interrupted his thoughts and he turned around to see Kagome, breathtakingly beautiful in the white and red dress he had picked out for her. He had a flash that those colors would be perfect for her and they were. The white made her look heavenly and the red would have made him—if he'd been any lesser type of demon—ravish her right then and there. Presently, he didn't want to scare her off. Instead, he straightened, like a gentlemen, while the server directed Kagome to her seat. She did so with reluctance, almost glaring at Nozomu.

He sat down and gave her one of the smiles some of the court woman would have died to receive. "The dress is beautiful on you. I knew it would be when I set my eyes on it."

"It's nice," Kagome responded coolly, not daring to make eye contact with him. She feared that if she did, it would egg him on. And that was the last thing she wanted.

Or was it?

"I've requested a very pleasant meal for us," Nozomu continued, snapping his fingers. Soon more servers appeared silver plates in their hands. They laid them in front of the two guests. "I had the chef cook something from your native country."

Kagome's head snapped up when she heard this. "You did what?"

Nozomu smiled, signaling the servers to lift up the silver lids on the food. The smell of her favorite dish, the one her mother used to always make for her and her brother, assaulted her nose, her mouth watered instantly. The dish was fairly simple and very economical, which was why Kagome's mother had always made it when times were scarce. It consisted of vegetables, steamed and seasoned with a special herb that she knew was unique to her country and bits of different meats. On the side, a serving of sweet bread to compliment the vegetables and meat sat there, perfectly baked from the looks of it. Kagome never would have thought Nozomu was thoughtful enough to do this for her.

Nozomu could see the hesitance in Kagome's eyes, but he could also see the surprise and delight she felt at seeing something familiar. She was doubting her resolve and he was going to keep prodding and poking until he broke it.

"This dish…" Kagome spoke, trailing off a bit. "… was one of my favorites. My mother," She gulped at the mention of her. "used to always make it."

"Then I would be honored if you ate with me."

Kagome looked at Nozomu, deciding to just enjoy the food for once. It was probably likely that she would never eat this again. She picked up her fork and spoon (her mother had taught her table manners since the day she could sit at a table) and dug in. The first bite was heavenly; it was better than she remembered! The fine wine that had been poured for her was fantastic as well—even when she never had taken a liking to wine before.

The first course went by with no problems. Nozomu surprised Kagome by his casual and all-around-good-guy attitude. Not one comment, complain or insult had left his mouth the whole time. He had even cracked a few jokes, to which Kagome couldn't help but laugh at.

He was also amazingly intelligent, and not just about what was necessary to know to be king, but about most things in general. He knew a lot about history, science and literature. She liked listening to him and his opinions about the books that lined his colossal library and his own personal study, about the books that she had only been able to dust.

"You've never read "_The Journey, _by Masul?" Nozomu asked, leaning in.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Well, considering I was poor when I was younger and the fact that I was only a hand-maid…." She shrugged, letting Nozomu assume what he wanted.

"Then I shall take you to my library and let you read it."

"I don't think I can."

"Why not?"

Kagome blushed, embarrassed. "I…haven't read in a while and I only knew basic things about reading…"

Nozomu, with a wave of his hand, dismissed her embarrassment. "It's alright. I shall teach you."

"Really?"

He smiled, covering her hand with his. "Really."

Kagome's heart jumped when he smiled at her, at her body's own accord. Even if he was nice enough to give Rin a room and feed her food that she loved and offered her to help her start reading again…in the end, he was still Nozomu and that fact _had_ to be taken very seriously.

But she didn't know if she could.

With the way everything was going, Nozomu was sure she'd be in his bed by the end of the week. She was still a woman, so easily flattered and delighted by the gestures he had taken his time planning. He loved the flush of her cheeks, the light in her eyes and her simple ways. Usually, all of these tedious tasks would have annoyed him, but if they got a smile and a blush from the girl he was so taken with, he'd do anything and everything to do it.

If all had gone according to plan, the night would've had ended on a happier note, maybe another invitation to dinner or maybe breakfast and a walk in the gardens again. She might have not been so displeased to be by his side then.

But all hopes of these plans were dashed when a young man boldly entered their private session, brandishing a sword near the neck of the King.

**XXX**

Kagome was rooted to her spot when she saw a blur and then a sword next to the Nozomu's neck. Even more quickly, Nozomu flipped the attacker, the sword moving away from his neck but now aimed at his heart. It seemed that this boy was desperate to kill the king, so much so that Kagome had a hard time getting a good look at him.

Until he was once again flipped by the obviously stronger Nozomu.

`Her surprise and shock couldn't be described as she recognized the boy. "Souta!"

To her utter horror, the boy responded to the name, looking at her, eyes wide with recognition. Unfortunately for him, Nozomu was able to pin him down long enough for the guards to come through the door. Nozomu was ready to cut off the attacker's head when Kagome put herself between them.

"No!" Kagome cried, tears in her eyes. Nozomu lowered the sword, but kept a defensive stance. "And why shouldn't I kill him? He just tried to kill me!" He bellowed, angry that she was throwing herself for the assassin.

"Please, don't kill him!" Her voice was desperate and in a softer, yet heart-broken voice said, "He's my brother."

Nozomu nostrils flared in anger. "I don't care if he's your brother." He raised the sword again.

Kagome saw that he was intent on killing the only family member left to her. She never would've done it if it were someone else, but it was her flesh and blood on the floor, eyes scared but set. If Nozomu killed him, it would be like he'd killed her too.

Thinking it was the only solution, Kagome grabbed Nozomu's shirt, pulling him until her lips met with his.

Nozomu's eyes widened as Kagome kissed him. The sword clattered to the floor, and he took her into his arms, eyes closing in the pleasure of her lips, her smell and kissing her back with full force. Her kiss was simple and screamed innocence, which he quickly coaxed her out of. He deepened the kiss significantly, exploring her, tasting her and enjoying every second of it. She was responding as well albeit hesitantly. She was new at these kind of things, he thought. But it was never too late to learn.

She pulled away first, leaning into his chest and whispered pleadingly, "Don't kill him."

He didn't let go as he gestured to the two closest guards. "Take him into the dungeon and have Naraku find an appropriate punishment."

"What?" Kagome gasped, turning to see her brother being dragged out. "No!" She reached for him, but Nozomu wasn't having it. She struggled out of his grip until he finally let go.

"SOUTA!" She screamed, her brother gone and out of her sight. All those years of searching for him, all those nights spent worrying and she hadn't been able to at least make sure to keep him safe when she finally found him? Kagome sank to the floor, sobs racking her body.

Nozomu tried to help her up, but Kagome refused to be touched by him. "Get the hell away from me, you damn freak!" She screamed, not really thinking about the impact of the words she had just said.

Nozomu stilled, the word _freak_ registering in his brain. He _hated_ that word. Absolutely loathed it. Without thinking that it was the girl he desperately wanted to impress—and the girl he could not harm without being inflicted with pain—he pulled her up roughly, his grip painful on the delicate arms of Kagome. He ignored the pain he began to feel.

"Don't you dare disrespect me," he hissed. "Or you'll regret it."

For the first time since meeting him, Kagome was actually afraid of him. His eyes seemed to be the color of fire as he glared at her, but Kagome, no matter how scared she was, was not going to let him push her around. He was going to hurt her brother, and she'd be damned if she let him control her.

Her hand traveled across his face, and the sound of the slap resounded in the dining room. The guards that were still there were astonished and were now very sorry for the girl who was surely going to die a horrible death at the hands of their king.

Nozomu hadn't seen the slap coming and touched his face to feel it actually stung a little. Kagome stared back at him with her a look of defiance. Grinding his teeth, he pushed her roughly to the guards who were surprised that Nozomu had not killed her outright.

"Take her to her room and lock her in," He glared, "I'll deal with her myself later."

Kagome was wrenched away from his presence accordingly, but now Nozomu was regretting his anger as he walked away. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed loudly. Everything had been going so well…and now they were back at square one.

Well, not completely. That kiss might have been a distraction to save her brother, but even she couldn't deny the shivers that he certainly felt go through the both of them when they'd kissed. She hadn't pushed him away when he had deepened their kiss either. Yes, if there was one thing he could salvage from this, it was that Kagome had liked kissing him.

He smiled. He knew exactly what he was going to do to 'punish' her.

**XXX**

Kagome, surprised at the gentleness of the guards, was left in her room, her doors locked. She sat on her bed and wondered where her peaceful evening had gone. She shook her head as she remembered how seriously delusional she had been to think that he was actually kind. He was a monster, intent on killing her brother and coaxing her to sleep with him. Both of these things Kagome would never let happen, but one slightly less than the other. It scared her that she didn't know which.

As she thought about the kiss, she blushed at how… _good _it had felt. That was her first real kiss (She didn't count the first time Nozomu tried to subdue her) and as much as she hated to admit it, she had liked it. She thought idly that maybe it was because he had experience—experience she surely lacked.

She wondered, like she had done many a night before, what he even saw in her. Was it the stupid prophecy influencing them? If it was, she didn't like it. She didn't want this prophecy to control her life and instead of just sitting there, awaiting the punishment from Nozomu that she knew she would definitely not like, she stood up.

It was time to take control of her own life.

**XXX**

Getting out of her room wasn't as bad as she had thought. The guards had left her behind, convinced that she wasn't going to try and escape. People seemed to have the habit of underestimating her.

That was ending tonight.

Because as she walked to the dungeons, avoiding the guards that changed places during the night, she knew that talking to her brother would make Nozomu go through the roof—and actually, that was exactly what she wanted. He needed to understand that _he would not break her._ No matter how he might make her feel, no matter what he did, it was going to take more than pretty words and tricks to get her to even remotely like him. Not his kisses or anything physical, but him, the him that she doubted even existed anymore.

Kagome had a weird flash of gold in her mind. She shook her head, wondering why she had thought of the gold eyes she saw in her dreams. They seemed to connect to something, but she didn't want to think about that now. What she needed to do was talk to her brother to find out how the _hell_ he had even tried to get near Nozomu. Never mind the fact that he had tried to kill him.

Souta was sitting with his arms around his legs and his face hidden. She recognized this from when they had been smaller children, whenever he didn't want to listen to anyone he tried to make himself small and invisible. She grabbed the bars and sank down, the dress Nozomu had given her getting dirty. She didn't even care.

"Souta?"

Immediately, Souta was on alert and in a defensive stance. Once his eyes landed on his sister, though, he relaxed, but she could still see the tense set of his shoulders. As if he was upset about something.

"Kagome," He licked his lips, which were dry and chapped. They grabbed each other's hand through the railing and smiled at each other.

"Souta, I missed you so much." Kagome was on the verge of crying again. "I looked everywhere for you but I…."

"I know, I know." Souta smiled, and Kagome almost cried again. "I went back, looking for you and the people you used to work for said you had already left. Every town I came to said the same thing. Until I made it to the last village, of course."

Kagome wondered how her old village must've looked by now. Was there still the remnants of the houses the people had built there, the ashes of the people the fires had burned and the stench of dead bodies? She closed her eyes and the tears fell.

"So you had no idea where I had gone?" She asked, reigning herself in.

Souta shook his head. "No, and I didn't even know you were alive." His gaze fell to the floor. "I'm glad you're alive…but I can't believe you would do this."

Kagome was confused. What was he talking about? "What?"

Souta looked upset again, as if he couldn't believe that Kagome didn't understand him. "Kagome, you're sleeping with the enemy!"

"Wait a minute!" Kagome hissed, pressing into the bars of the cell. "I am _not_ sleeping with Nozomu!"

"You're on a first name basis with him? Oh god, Kagome!" He shook his head horrified.

Kagome frowned and reached in, pulling his hair like she used to when they were kids and he was annoying her. "Let me tell you something, Souta! I don't know who the hell said that I was 'sleeping with the enemy'." She lowered her voice to a deadly whisper. "but I am not involved with him."

"Then what was that kiss for?" Souta challenged.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "That was to save your hide, idiot! Don't you think he would have hacked off your head if I hadn't kissed him to distract him?"

Souta tried to give more incriminating evidence, but all he could think of was, "But if you don't want anything to do with him, why were you with him?"

Kagome sighed. Getting anything through to her brother certainly hadn't changed. "Souta, contrary to what you think, I'm being held against my will." She looked at her brother square in the eye. "I have people here who are my friends. The only reason they were spared their lives was because I consented in coming with Nozomu."

There was a pause, a silence that filled the room. Kagome didn't know what to make of it. She stared at the floor, hoping he didn't think bad of her.

"I'm glad you don't like him." Kagome glanced up and saw Souta's eyes were teary. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to protect you like a brother should, Kagome." He gulped, hard. "Has he . . .?" His question trailed off, and he was horrified of what the answer might be. He didn't want to know that while he had been wandering places that his sister had been robbed of what was most precious to her.

Kagome shook her head. "So far, I'm in the clear. He can't hurt me because…" She trailed off, wondering how she could explain about his inability to hurt her.

"Because you're the girl from the prophecy." Souta completed her thought.

Her grip tightened on the bars. "How do you know about the prophecy?"

"I'm working with one the few kingdoms left with free rule," Souta began, looking a little sheepish. "I got there when we were separated and after mother was killed," He cast his gaze to the floor. "I was so angry. Angry at Nozomu, angry for the fact my family was gone…" He glanced up again. "And angry because I couldn't do anything about it."

"Souta…"

"I know," he smiled sadly. "but I was young and defenseless. A family took me in and the father was trained in self-defense. Once he taught me all that he could, he sent me to a school to train to be an assassin." Souta sighed. "He was part of a group that had been rallying supporters everywhere, bent on making Nozomu pay for what he's done. They liked my skills and soon I was passing up senior members."

Kagome smiled a little. "You always _did _excel on something you put your mind to."

"Yeah." Souta returned her smile. "Remember that time when I was obsessed to be able to tend to the gardens?"

"You were so little," Kagome laughed at the memory. "It was a miracle you didn't kill all the flowers that year."

The sound of the quiet laughter filled the depressing cell and things had started to look a little better. They quieted down after a few seconds and Kagome felt compelled to ask Souta to continue his story.

"Well, to make a long story short," Souta said, right after Kagome had told him to hurry up. "Word travels. The prophecy had been known for a long time, but the only person who had more information of that old bat's prophecy was Lady Midoriko, who I understand, is no longer with us."

Kagome eyes filled with tears and found it hard to speak. She only nodded. Souta looked as if he was sorry to even have mentioned her. "Then we heard about the new mistress that Nozomu had taken up." He sort of grimaced. "He was known to be frivolous with women and never kept them for long. Imagine the surprise that was felt when they found out, from a very resourceful link, that he couldn't hit her or else he felt pain. And that Kagome was her name."

"You don't know how happy and angry I was. Happy, because you were alive and breathing and not six feet under. Angry because you were here. With him." He gritted his teeth. "The very thought of him trying to get you in his bed…" He frowned. "It made me so mad that it was hard not to bolt and come get you. My masters held onto me for a while, to at least develop a strategy. You're part of it, you know."

Kagome raised an eyebrow. "Me? Why am I part of it?"

Souta looked at her like she was stupid. "You're the only person who he can't hurt and the one closest to him. You have the perfect opportunity to kill him!" He began to grow excited. "Imagine, we can avenge all those people, our grandfather and mother."

Kagome sighed, and looked away. She knew she didn't have it in her to kill him; she had decided long ago that she couldn't kill him. She wondered why she felt hurt when Souta suggested it. Regardless, she wasn't going to do it.

"I can't."

Souta eyes widened. "Why not? I thought you said that you didn't like him!"

Kagome found it hard to answer his question. Yes, she didn't like how he acted or what he was, but the Nozomu she had seen today, the one who could make her laugh, who was willing to help her reading skill… she'd be killing him too. Somehow, she thought, he could change, if she was able to help him in the right way.

Souta sighed and let go of the bars. "Don't tell me you're starting to like him?"

"I'm not—"

Her brother cut her off. "I can see it all over your face." He pressed his lips together and then said, "Kagome, don't you realize that he's the reason we're here? The reason why mother is dead?"

Kagome's eyes filled with tears as she hung her head. "I know all that but-"

"But nothing, Kagome." He said it softly, but with firmness. One would've have thought that he was older and not younger than his sister. Kagome realized that his years spent alone had matured him. He even looked older than her now. He had grown up to be a strong young man. "You can end this."

Kagome, her thoughts in a blizzard of confusion, stood up. "I'll try to convince him to let you go or at least not to kill you." She grabbed her brother's hand. "I love you, Souta."

Souta sighed, knowing he could not be angry with his sister. Fate was just cruel this way. He squeezed her hand. "I love you too, Kagome. I'll always protect you no matter what, ok?"

Kagome smiled through her tears and walked away, her brother's hand slipping from her fingers. She walked out of the dungeons, climbed up the stairs and slipped into her room quietly. She didn't bother to change and just lay on her bed, wondering why all of this was happening.

Was she beginning to _like_ Nozomu? What was she thinking? How could she do that, after everything that he'd done to her, to her family and to her home? And what about the things he said to her, the insults, the berating criticisms and the threats? How could she just ignore that?

Kagome knew why. It was because she had seen a side of him that she finally liked. She remembered the comment Nozomu had told her outside of Rin's new room.

"_There are many sides you haven't seen, Kagome. Why don't you explore them?"_

She shook her head. She was really going crazy. What else could you call a girl that was starting to fall in love with her captor?

**Please review! We love reading what you have to say about this piece of fiction.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: Don't own Inuyasha or characters. I do own the prophecy mentioned throughout the chapters. Inuyasha's demon name Nozomu: Desire.**

****** Daichi: WOOT! Give it up for rockerchick! She came up with this little doozy of a chapter :) I edited, so enjoy!**

****** Chapter 16: A life for a life**

Kagome tiptoed silently down to the dungeon. Nozomu had not shown his face for several days. Although she wondered why, she was glad when she later learned that Naraku and he had gone to take care of some business. As to what business, Kagome assumed it had something to do with the Shikon No Tama. Of course, Nozomu made sure that Kagome had someone guarding her all hours of the day. It took a while, but Kagome was able to slip past the guards at night to visit her brother as often as she could.

She missed him so much. She would bring Souta food and they would sit around for hours talking about the last few years of their lives. She was amazed at how mature he had become. That twinkle in his eyes was now gone, replaced with anger. His face was hardened, and no longer did that smooth and inviting smile appear on his face. The destruction of their village and death of their mother had changed Souta drastically. Kagome wished that she could turn back time and give Souta the childhood he deserved, that he so sorely had missed, but of course, it was wishful thinking. Fulfilling the prophecy was her only option. It would give Souta the opportunity to relax and live his life the way he wanted. Who knows, she thought, he may even find someone to settle down with and start a family.

After catching up on the past, Kagome told Souta what her friends were up to. She explained what little information they had found out about Nozomu and the prophecy. It didn't shock him when she told him that Naraku might be the master mind behind everything. They were still gathering information about him particularly. Souta told her that the rebellion was also gathering information, but was unable to get much. The same information she had, they had as well. She'd hoped that he'd have something, but they were both in the same boat.

She hesitated, not sure if she should tell him about the man, Inuyasha, that was locked in the tower or her restless nights dreaming about a man with amber eyes who kept asking her to save him from some unknown place she had yet to discover. Deciding to keep the human in the tower a secret for now, she told him about her dreams, about a mysterious figure with amber eyes that was always asking her help, begging to be saved by her. Most times, she tried to remember something, but her dreams would always fade into the background as if it were nothing every time she would awaken. Lately, Kagome started remembering more and more about the dreams; however, she did not have any about him in for the last few nights which worried her.

"Do you think that it could be the hanyou calling for your help?" asked Souta. He sat cross legged in front of the bars with Kagome facing him. While Kagome was explaining her dreams, he remained quiet, never interrupting her, taking in every last detail, hanging on to every word she spoke.

"It's crossed my mind. But I don't know how to save him, Souta. I keep thinking, but the I always end up with a headache." Kagome let out a sigh. "I never got a chance to talk to Lady Midoriko about it. I'm sure she would have known what to do." Her voice dropped into a whisper until she was completely quiet. It pained her to remember the incident.

Souta grabbed his sister's cold hand. "Kagome, don't stress about it. I'm sure something will come up that can help you with your dreams."

Kagome smiled at the assurance. "Thanks Souta." Light began to seep through the one window in the dungeon. "I have to go. Nozomu will be back today. I don't want to provoke him unnecessarily."

Immediately, Souta let go of her hand. "You care too much about that bastard." He grumbled as he walked to another corner of his cell.

"That's all you've been saying to me!" She fumed, standing up. "Can't you see that I'm trying to protect you? I can't lose you again Souta!" Kagome looked down, willing her tears to not fall. "I just can't, not again."

"I'm sorry for sounding ungrateful." he said, after remaining quiet for several seconds. "I just don't want you go get too close to him; it's not safe."

She smiled at him, wiping away the tears that were about to fall. Kagome knew that her brother was only looking out for her just as she was doing for him. "I know you don't mean it and I'll be very careful. I have to go, but I'll be back as soon as I can." She walked away from the cell and went towards the steps.

"Be safe, dear sister." Souta called out.

"I will."

Kagome walked quickly and silently the rest of the way to her room, relieved when she found the door unguarded. She decided to take a bath and get started with her chores. As much as she hated it, she knew that she had to talk to Nozomu. There was no doubt in her mind that Nozomu did not plan to keep Souta alive for much longer. After all, Souta tried to kill him. She groaned. It was going to be a long day.

She took the time to make sure Rin was alright before moving on to her chores. It was best for Rin to be with Sango while she handled the situation with Nozomu. Kagome wandered down the hall and made her rounds. Today, the castle was unusually quiet. Not even the chirping of the birds sounded in the distance. She took that as a sign that Nozomu was pissed off and everyone wanted to avoid him at all costs; even nature took the hint. It was a long shot, but she hoped she was wrong. After all, she only needed to sweet talk him into letting her brother live. It was the only way to get him to agree. Well, she hoped.

Nozomu stormed through the many halls inside the castle. Naraku had got a tip days ago from one of his many informants about another priestess that knew where the sacred jewel was. Of course, it was a dead end. The priestess was supposed to be in some secluded village, but the village they went to was abandoned. It looked like no one had lived there in months. The scents were days, no weeks old. To think things were finally going his away. Naraku told Nozomu that he would take care of the informant and gather information himself. Naraku was starting to piss him off. It was a shame that he needed the bastard or he would have killed him for all his past failures. Nozomu needed results; it was taking far too long to locate the jewel.

He let out a growl. He shouldn't have left. Not only did he waste is precious time on a wild goose chase, but also because there was a threat in his dungeon that he should have taken care of days ago.

A sinister smile spread across his lips. The little assassin was perfect to vent on. Yes, he was going to kill him slowly, letting his screams echo through the castle and his blood paint the dungeon walls. But he needed to extract the information he held. Nozomu needed to know who sent the little bastard and what he knew about him. It was not going to be easy and the boy wasn't going to just hand over that valuable information. Nozomu could not wait for the fight the scrawny boy was going to put up. He just hoped the boy wouldn't die quickly; there was no fun in _that_. The boy needed to suffer.

He debated on whether or not to go see Kagome first. She still needed to be punished for disobeying him. Granted he _did_ liked the kiss, but knew that she only kissed him to distract him. Sadly, it had worked. Seeing her would have to wait; he wanted to deal with the little assassin first

Rubbing his hands together in the glorious anticipation, he descended to the dungeon whistling and thinking about what weapon to use to extract the ultimate torture. Maybe use his bare hands to crush the boy's bones slowly. Start with his feet and work his way up. Or, stretch out his limps until they popped out of place and then put them back, starting over and over again. Nozomu shivered; it sounded delightful.

As Nozomu made his way down, a scent tickled his nose. Taking a deep breath, he frowned. _Kagome had been here. _It made his blood boil thinking of her visiting his prisoner. Now he had to deal with the guards that obviously couldn't keep an eye on her and the assassin too. Today was starting to be a hassle and it was only morning.

Kagome did her chores, asking the other servants she passed if they had seen Nozomu. Of course, no one answered. She took note of the fear in their eyes. They all thought of Kagome as Nozomu's mistress. To her she wasn't, but to them it would seem. She hated how people judged her before taking the time to understand.

She sighed, her only option was to go to the kitchen and see if Totosai heard anything. News always drifted his way.

"Totosai," Kagome peeked her head into the kitchen and found him chopping up vegetables.

"Kagome, what can I do for you?" he asked without looking up from his task.

Kagome walked over to a stool and sat down. "I was wondering if you heard where Nozomu is. I need to talk to him about the prisoner."

"I don't think it's a good idea to speak with him today. He isn't in a good mood."

"I figured that," she said with a sigh. "But, I have to." She began to speak earnestly. "You see, the prisoner is my brother, the only family I have left. I can't let Nozomu take him away from me. I've waited too long to be reunited with Souta."

"I'm sorry to hear that Kagome. I wish I knew before." Totosai reached over the table and gave Kagome's hand a gentle squeeze. "I heard he went to the dungeon."

Before he could say more, she bolted out of her seat and ran.

___No! Not again!_She didn't slow her pace as she pounded down the steps towards the dungeons, her heart hammering in her chest. Kagome hoped she would make it in time to save her Souta from the wrath of Nozomu. ___Kami, please let me get there in time__. _Blinded by her tears, she ran down the dungeon steps, the sound of screaming pushing her on.

"Tell me!"

She slowed her pace and wiped the tears away quickly.

Turning the corner, covering her mouth to stop the scream that was trying to push its way out. Souta was chained to one of the walls, his right eye already swollen shut and his lip bleeding. In fact, his entire face was covered in blood. Blood was seeping out of his mouth and dripping to the already bloody floor. Nozomu stood slightly to the right. Kagome could see the blood coating his right hand. He raised his fist to land another strike, but Kagome raced over to them.

"No!" Nozomu stopped and looked at Kagome as she placed herself in between him and her brother. Tears were streaming down her face again. "Please stop!" She sobbed out.

"K-Kagome. G-Go a-away." Souta stammered out, probably because of the pain, but she ignored him.

"Please Nozomu, don't hurt him anymore." Kagome begged, her voice straining from sounding heart-broken as she looked onto her brother.

He growled. "You shouldn't be down here."

She ignored his statement and pleaded on. "I beg of you to stop. He's the only family I have left."

"And you think I care?" His eyes flashed, gesturing toward Souta. "He tried to kill me!"

"Y-you d-deserved it." Souta spit, looking at Nozomu with as much hatred as he could as hurt he was. Kagome would have smiled for her brother's bravery if she didn't fear for his life.

"Step aside Kagome. Besides, he has something I want. I won't kill him just yet. He must suffer first."

Kagome took a step back as he gave her a sinister smile. A shiver passed through her but she thought, ___I can't back down._

She put on her bravest face and glared at Nozomu as hard as she could."He doesn't know anything." She gritted.

"Oh," Nozomu's gaze slid to Souta before looking back at Kagome. "And you would know this how? Did he tell you everything during your visits?" He looked at her expectantly, but she remained silent, not daring to confirm or deny his accusation. He smiled, tilting his head as if he were talking to a child. "Of course I know Kagome." His voice turned cold and angry. "Your scent is all over this damn dungeon."

"Why d-don't you t-tell her w-what you're a-after Nozomu." Souta choked out. Kagome turned around to look at him, eyes wide. "He's after the Shikon No Tama."

"Quiet, fool!" Nozomu bellowed.

Kagome kept quiet as she watched Nozomu stepped forward, but she did not move from his path. Instead, she began pleading again. What else was she to do?

"Nozomu please! I—I'll do anything."

Her declaration caused him to stop in his tracks. He turned to her slowly and raised an eyebrow. "Anything?"

Souta understood his tone immediately. "No, don't do it, Kagome!"

She stood rigid as she could while not screaming as Nozomu stroked her cheek with his blood stained hand. It took all of her will power not to pull away. "Yes." She finally said.

He cupped her chin, forcing her to look him directly in the eyes. "You can't take it back Kagome."

Kagome gulped slightly, but her voice did not waver. "I know."

He crushed his lips to hers. Kagome held her ground and was relieved when he stepped back. "He will stay in the dungeon. He is not to leave under any circumstance. If you want to visit him, you must speak to me. If I find out that you are sneaking to see him, he dies. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Nozomu."

"Good." That said, he turned and left.

Kagome remained in her spot until she was sure he was completely gone. Turning to Souta, she took the key that was hanging on the wall and began to unlock the chains. He slumped to the ground, breathing hard. Kagome quickly went to the bucket of water in the far corner, dragged it over to where Souta was, ripped a piece of her dress, and soaked it with water before turning back to him.

"You're okay now, Souta." She said soothingly as she began wiping the blood off his face.

His hand stopped her and with his good eye, pierced into her eyes. "Why Kagome? Why would you interfere?"

"Because you're my brother." She placed his hand back into his lap. "I will do whatever it takes to protect you."

"Now he has something else to use against you." Kagome wasn't going to think about that. It was true. Nozomu had her friends and now her only family in the palm of his hands. If she disobeyed him, he could destroy them with just a word. She shook her head. It was the right decision and she was never going to regret it.

"What do you know about the Shikon no Tama?" She knew that Nozomu wanted it, but didn't know what purpose it would serve him.

Souta was quiet. Kagome was about to tell him to forget about it, but he spoke. "The rumor is that the jewel has immense power. It can grant whatever wish the holder desires."

"Why would Nozomu want it? More power?"

"No, I don't think that's it." Souta shook his head. "We haven't figured it out yet. Power is not what he is after."

Kagome finished cleaning the blood off his face and gasped. Souta's face was covered in even more cuts and bruises, and half of his face was swollen, apart from his eye.

"Oh, Souta." She stroked his cheek as she surveyed the damage with the tips of her fingers.

"Don't worry about me Kagome. I'll live." He gave her a sort of smile, that she had been so used to back when she was younger. And she was glad for that.

Kagome helped Souta back into his cell and told him that she would gather some herbs to take the pain away and reduce the swelling. She hesitated before leaving. Souta assured her that he was a lot stronger than he looked. Reluctantly, she left promising to return and went in search of some herbs. Kagome remembered seeing some growing in the gardens.

"Kagome!"

She turned to find Ayame, Sango, and Rin standing in the hall, eyes wide and astonished. "What happened?"

She glanced down and realized that she was covered in someone's blood for the second time. She burst into tears and her friends went to her with hugs and comforting words. Kagome explained everything in a rush. From Nozomu almost getting assassinated by her brother to her brother almost dying at the hands of Nozomu. She told them about the bargain she'd struck with him, not knowing what he would want in return. When she was done, she felt a little better.

"We will help keep an eye on Souta for you Kagome," said Sango with a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, we will help too." seconded Ayame.

"Thanks you guys." Kagome smiled back. "I need to go finish taking her of Souta. Will you tell Miroku what I told you?"

"Of course." Sango smiled. Kagome was glad. She didn't think she could repeat everything again.

Kagome said goodbye to her friends and went to the garden to gather the herbs. Once she had them in hand, she went to the kitchen to borrow a pestle and mortar to crush the herbs. Thankfully, Totosai did not ask her about the blood and just handed her what she needed. While she was gathering the tools she required, the felt the disdainful glares of the other servants. She didn't care; they did not understand what she was going through. Their glares slid off like oil.

Going back to Souta, she prepared the medicine for him. She was glad that he was sound asleep and that his breathing was even now. She rubbed the paste on his face and sat back to watch him sleep, holding his hand in the process.

Yes, she'd made the right decision. A life for a life. Kagome knew her life was no longer hers, but it didn't matter. She would always trade her life in to save the people she loved.

Nozomu was very manipulative. He always got what he wanted. She could not help but wonder how long it would be before he realized that she possessed the jewel. Kagome let out a sigh. She had to fulfill the prophecy before that could happen. She realized with a sinking feeling that she was falling deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole.

**Review! We love reading what you thought about the chapter!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: Don't own Inuyasha or characters. I do own the prophecy mentioned throughout the chapters. Inuyasha's demon name Nozomu: Desire.**

**Rockerchick: This wonderful chapter was written by my co-writer Daichi! We hope you enjoy.**

**Chapter 17: Izayoi**

Kagome sighed as she lay down to sleep for the night. Ever since she had promised Nozomu anything in exchange for her brother's life, she'd been wondering when he would claim his prize. She was sure that he would come for her sooner or later. It was only a matter of time now. She rolled onto her side under the warm covers, frowning and clutching her sheets tightly. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep again tonight, for fear of him appearing in her room like he had other times.

Only, she hadn't seen him very much that day. Once, when she had gotten up and started her morning chores, he had been in his room, deep in thought. Kagome hadn't spoken to him and he quickly left the room. She had no idea what to make of it. She attributed it to the fact that he was probably having problems. But still, where had he been all day?

Fleetingly, she thought of her brother, who was still down in the cold dungeon and wondered if he had been there at all. She banished the thought quickly. She had already made him agree to take her instead of him. There would have been no reason for him to go after her brother again.

Throwing the covers off, she decided that sleep would not come if she kept thinking about her problems. Maybe a walk would clear her mind. Grabbing her coat, she glanced outside from her window. No moon shone while the starts glittered in the night sky. She shrugged, not thinking too much about it. Still, something in the back of her mind kept bugging her. She was about to shrug it off when the realization hit her.

Inuyasha would be in the tower.

Kagome backtracked and remembered the first time she had met him. She vaguely remembered promising him that she would return the next new moon. She didn't have any blankets to spare, but the least she would do was bring him more bread. She moved her dresser and grabbed the key from the little hole there and quickly made her way to the kitchen. She had to be careful in the dark or else she'd break something, but she was able to get a big piece of bread that someone had conveniently left out. Kagome grabbed a spare candle and lighted it. She would need the light in the dank castle.

Again, she made her way to the huge wooden door and pushed it open. The tower lay quietly before her and making sure her steps were as quiet as church mice, she stepped out and began to climb up the winding steps of the south-side tower. Once at the top, she stuck and turned the key in the lock. The door opened silently, the light of the candle flooding the doorway.

"Inuyasha?" She whispered tentatively.

"Kagome?"

Kagome's eyes met the violet eyes of Inuyasha, who looked glad to see her. She smiled and entered, grabbing the key and returning it in her coat pocket. "I brought you this," She held out the bread. "I remembered how much you liked it last time."

Inuyasha accepted it graciously. "Thanks."

"So," Kagome sat down, setting down the candle much how she did before. The shadows bounced off the walls as she spoke. "Any luck remembering anything?"

Inuyasha sighed loudly. "Not at all. And believe me, this time I've been trying a lot harder."

Kagome smiled. "Well, at least you tried. That's better than nothing."

There was silence as Inuyasha ate the bread. Kagome really had nothing to say, but she found it wasn't awkward with her being there. She felt comfortable in Inuyasha's presence, much more so than Nozomu's.

She sighed loudly as she thought of her captor. She still had no way of knowing what would happen to her now. He was liable to do anything. Look at what he had done to poor Inuyasha; locked in a tower with no food, no warmth, and this time, no shirt.

Kagome averted her eyes somewhere else when she noticed he had no shirt, face going red. She didn't want to seem like a pervert or anything.

"Is something wrong, Kagome? You're beet red." Inuyasha questioned, having seen her head turn and her cheeks redden up. He thought she looked rather pretty.

"Oh, nothing really." Kagome tried to brush it off. "I was just thinking about something." At that moment, the wind blew and a breeze made Kagome shiver a bit. Realizing that she was only in her nightgown, the same one Nozomu had noticed as flimsy, she tried to cover herself more with her coat.

Now it was Inuyasha's turn to blush. He hadn't meant for his eyes to travel where they shouldn't have, but it was on impulse. She had shifted and his view had changed for a second. Now, he only stared at the flame that flickered in the dark.

"Kagome," he began, wondering where to start their conversation. He had been looking forward to her visit. It was the highlight of his night to finally have someone to talk to. "Have you've been okay?"

"I don't know," Kagome laid her head against the cold stone wall and closed her eyes. "So much has happened since the last time we spoke and I don't know what to do anymore."

"Maybe if you tell someone about it, you might be able to figure out what to do." Inuyasha spoke quietly, hoping that would help her.

Kagome's eyes opened and she sat up. "I might as well." She crossed her arms and started at the beginning. "It all started one night when Nozomu wanted me to have dinner with him. I had refused at first, but I was in no position to totally ignore the invitation because of…"

"Your friends." Inuyasha nodded, remembering the reason she was even there.

Kagome smiled, though it was a sad smile. "Yes, you're right. Anyway, Nozomu was the perfect gentlemen that night, giving me food from my country and even offering to teach me how to read."

"You don't know how to read?" Inuyasha knew he was interrupting, but learning something new about Kagome was the first thing on his priority list.

She shook her head. "Only the very basics."

"Same here. Someone taught me when I was young, someone…" Inuyasha struggled with his words, grasping at air but then he shook his head. "Forget it. I can't remember. Continue, please."

"Well, at that moment, someone burst into the dining room, brandishing a sword at Nozomu." She looked down at the floor, her voice dropping a little. "It was my brother, of all people." Hot tears pricked her eyes at the memory. "Even though Nozomu was being very nice, I should have known better to not be fooled."

"What happened?"

"He tried to kill him," Kagome stated simply. "Even after when I had told him who he was to me. He didn't care at all."

"Did he…?" Inuyasha asked, almost afraid to ask.

"No, he didn't kill him." Kagome sighed. "I stopped him."

Inuyasha raised his eyebrows. "How did you do that?"

Kagome turned to lock eyes with him and was struck at how guilty she felt to tell him. "I had to kiss him."

"O-oh," Inuyasha stammered, nodding and turning away from her gaze. "I guess you had no choice."

"I didn't. It was either my brother's life or my first kiss. I think you can understand why I chose what I did."

He nodded and did not think on it anymore. "And then?"

Kagome shrugged. "He took him to the dungeon, was about to kill until…" She sighed. "until I exchanged my brother's life with mine."

"What?" Inuyasha turned to face her. "I don't understand…"

"I told him that I would do anything for him if he let Souta live." Kagome looked at him sadly. "What do you think he has in mind?"

Inuyasha chose not to answer that question and silence fell once more upon the two friends sitting in the cold tower. The weight of what Kagome had just told him could be felt profoundly by Inuyasha. She was right to be worried. If Nozomu could put him in a dungeon every full moon with nothing but the clothes on his back (until tonight), what would he do to a young girl who had just given permission to do what he please with her? He shuddered just thinking about it.

Kagome decided to not dwell anymore on her problems. She still needed to—or maybe wanted to—know more about Inuyasha. It could answer some questions, and besides, she had until the sky began to lighten up.

"So you remembered someone taught you how to read," Kagome smiled, putting the focus on Inuyasha. "That's a start."

"I guess," He shrugged. "I just wish I could remember who. I have the feeling it's really important."

"Maybe you need something to jog your memory." Kagome thought out loud. "When Nozomu gave me the dish at our dinner, the sight of it made me remember my mother."

"But what could do that? The only things I see here are the walls, the candle and you."

Kagome sighed. He was right. If he hadn't had a relapse yet with his surroundings at the moment, it was likely nothing in the cell would stimulate his memory. But she was determined to walk out with at least one question answered. She closed her eyes and thought hard. _What could help him remember . . ._

Suddenly, her eyes open with an inexplicable answer. It just came to her, as if someone had whispered it in her ear. It was odd, but she was going to trust her instinct. She grabbed the candle, which was becoming low with all of its flickering and held it up so that her face and Inuyasha's was fully illuminated.

Inuyasha turned to see Kagome gazing at him intently. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "What?"

"Just look at the fire and listen to my voice, okay?"

He looked even more alarmed. "Uh…okay?"

"C'mon, I don't bite. All you have to do is stare into the fire and answer my questions."

"Fine, but I don't know how it'll help." Inuyasha glanced once more at her face and let his gaze linger. Kagome didn't really know what she was doing, but something kept moving her hands and putting words in her mouth. _Almost as if I've done this before…_

"Now," Kagome started, her voice low and hypnotic. "Try to remember when you learned how to read."

"I really don't think this is going to work."

"Just stare!"

Inuyasha closed his mouth and once again stared intently at the fire. "I remember that I learned how to read when I was five..." He stopped there because he had nothing else to say, but he didn't take his gaze off the fire this time. The constant staring at the fire let him space out for a little, and now it seemed as if he was in another place.

Kagome broke the silence in her soft voice. "Where are you?"

Inuyasha continued to stare at the fire and spoke softly as he recalled. "I'm…in my house. No, outside my house. On the grass."

"Good," Kagome smiled. They were finally getting somewhere. "Now, do you know what book you are trying to read?"

"Some children's book," He replied, eyebrows scrunching up in concentration. "Something about a legend."

"And who's next to you?"

Inuyasha just kept staring at the fire for a minute until he said, "Someone very important to me."

"Male or female?"

"Female," Inuyasha replied quickly. Kagome was surprised but didn't dwell on the thought.

"Who is she to you?"

"She's my…my…" Inuyasha struggled to find the right word and then suddenly it came to him. He whispered it as if "My mother, Izayoi."

At that moment, a strong gust from the open window blew the candle out and both were left in the darkness, but Kagome's smile was as bright as the sun.

"You did it!" Kagome exclaimed, grabbing Inuyasha's hands. "You remembered your mother!"

Inuyasha shook his head, finally out of the trance he had been put in. "Wow. That was amazing. It was like I was really there." He looked at Kagome. "I saw her. My mother, I mean. She was beautiful, with long black hair and such a loving gaze…" He trailed off, noticing their hands.

Kagome pulled back immediately. "I-I'm glad you finally figured it out." She stood up quickly, almost falling back down, but Inuyasha caught her.

"Oops," Kagome was surprised to see how close their faces were. "I have to go. My candle is out so I should probably go now…"

Inuyasha didn't know why he wasn't letting her go. She was right. She _did _have to leave, but he liked the feeling of her waist in his hands. Besides, if she left, Nozomu could do something horrible to her. Just the thought was frightening.

"Really, Inuyasha." Kagome looked up him, hands on his arms. "I have to go. Nozomu might find us."

He released her and sighed, but he clasped her hands. "Be careful, Kagome."

Kagome sighed at his earnest caution, but smiled. "I will, Inuyasha. You can bet on it."

XX

Kagome re-entered her room just as the first rays of dawn began peeking over the horizon. Burying herself in her covers, she wondered what exactly had happened with Inuyasha. She didn't know what had overcome her to stare into that fire like she made him do, but she felt that it would work and it did. The weird thing was that she had never done it herself, at least, not that she could remember.

_I wonder…could that have been some type of intuition? From the jewel maybe?_ She closed her eyes and dismissed her tangled thoughts. She was just so exhausted for some reason; she attributed it to staying up and talking with Inuyasha.

_At least he remembered who his mother was, _Kagome thought. _Maybe now he'll be able to remember his past and why he's always in that tower every new moon_.

She decided then to help Inuyasha as much as possible. For some reason she felt the growing need to help him remember his past. Her thoughts then returned to his words and actions. Her face had gotten hot and her heart had sped when he caught her and held her close. It scared her, more than anything because she didn't know what to make of it. She wondered if she was just imagining things again.

Before she could think anything else, she fell asleep, quietly and easily.

XX

Nozomu opened his eyes and stretched; he was back to normal again. Standing up, he waited for Naraku to come. He would not be late, for he knew that Nozomu could get very angry staying where his human self had for the night. His mind wandered a bit as his senses began to sharpen; they always took a few minutes to operate at their full potential when he reverted from being Inuyasha.

As he sat there contemplating the same smell he had smelled the last time, he wondered if he would remember the previous night. He hated the fact that he could not remember what had ensued the night before. He felt vulnerable and he loathed that feeling. It was one of the reasons he had been able to take Inuyasha's body over to have complete use of it. He had lost all his will power and had been susceptible to his influence. Suddenly, while in that train of thought, something flashed in his mind.

_Izayoi._

He knew who she was, of course, but he hardly ever thought of that woman any more. She was the reason he was the way he was. She had been human, obviously. But at the same time, even though he didn't think of her, he did respect her to a point. If it hadn't been for her, he wouldn't have existed at all. Izayoi was Inuyasha's mother, the half-breed's parent, but she was also his for the mere fact that he used to be a part of Inuyasha. The only difference was that he was the part Inuyasha's father had contributed to him.

As Naraku walked inside to unlocked him, Nozomu wondered why he had even thought her name. He never bothered to remember it and yet it felt like it was etched into his mind now. A memory that was his and at the same time wasn't, played in his mind like a movie. Izayoi had taught Inuyasha to read, the very thing he kept seeing. And then it hit him.

He realized as he went down the steps and back into his castle why her name was in his head. Inuyasha must have remembered her and mentioned her name. If that was the case, then that meant he had remembered something from the night before.

He ordered Naraku away as quickly as he could; he had become tired of his failures to locate the jewel. They were running out of time and he wasn't producing the result he wanted. If he didn't find a good lead or find the jewel itself, he would have his head. Naraku knew this as well, which was why recently he had avoiding him. He only came to him if he had any leads or news about the jewel.

Without thinking, he opened the door that connected his room and Kagome's. She was still asleep, sprawled on her bed with the covers barely covering her. She didn't hear his entrance, neither his steps as he came closer to her. A whiff from the air caused him to stop. She didn't smell the same for a second; something was underlying her scent and he didn't like that. He didn't think her the type to sneak out to see a man, at least not while her friends' and her brother's life were at stake, but he had been deceived many times before.

Still, it irked him, for some very strange reason. She was _his_, now especially because she had willingly promised him anything. He had decided that he would ask for the very last bit of her freedom. Now she couldn't refuse him and a grin appeared on his face as he watched her.

"Enjoy your bed, Kagome." he whispered to the girl's sleeping form. "You won't be here for long."

XX

"He seriously needs to be organized," Kagome grumbled under her breath as she picked up the disorderly room of Nozomu. Kagome had woken up to hear that Nozomu had gone out for the day and would not be coming back until very late. He had left her some orders and some other errands for her as well. She didn't mind, as long as he wasn't there to torture her or her brother. She paused for a second. _When he comes back, I should probably ask him to let me see him_ she thought.

So when she had entered the room connected to hers, she was surprised to see things so…messy. It only made more work for her. Grabbing the useless papers with scribbles, she tossed them into a bin she would take down to the kitchen and dump outside to be burned. She was about to throw a particular paper away when she realized that it had some type of seal on it. She glanced at it, never having seen it before and because she could not read very well, only understood half of the things written. Her eyes scanned over it until something caught her eye.

"Iza…yoi," She sounded out. Something was ringing a bell about this name to her so she tried saying the syllables more quickly. "Izayoi."

_"My mother, Izayoi."_

Kagome lifted a hand to her mouth. What was Nozomu doing with a letter that had Inuyasha's mother's name in it? Did he know her? Was that why Inuyasha was locked in that tower? Could it be that it was just a coincidence? She wondered. She had never heard that name before so she supposed it to less common. Still, that didn't answer her question. What was the letter even saying? If she tried reading it, she could be there the whole day! Deciding to just put it back and come later when she had some free time, she stuffed it into a drawer on Nozomu's small desk, where the parchment and his ink lay.

Going about in her chores, Kagome's mind still wandered. Why was that letter there? Why was it out, as if someone had just remembered it and had wanted to read it? Idly, she wondered if it was a love letter, but she dismissed the thought. There wouldn't be a seal like that on a letter, would it? Besides, Nozomu kept all his women within meters of pouncing distance. It didn't seem like he would let one of them be far enough to have to send letters too. And anyway, Inuyasha's mother was bound to be old. She didn't really understand his…preferences, per se, but she didn't think he was that type of man, now was he?

She laughed out loud. _It doesn't matter much, anyway. To Nozomu, I'm just a toy he could throw around and play with. Who cares if he really _is_ that way?_

And instead on dwelling on it, she thought of Inuyasha again and how he must've been feeling when she had to leave.


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: Don't own Inuyasha or characters. I do own the prophecy mentioned throughout the chapters. Inuyasha's demon name Nozomu: Desire.**

**Chapter 18: Unexpected Turn of Events**

Nozomu paced his office floor as the clock on his wall ticked away. Time was running out with finding the Shikon Jewel; he could feel it in his blood. Inuyasha was getting stronger every day. He was even able to sometimes take over during crucial moments. Nozomu was slowly slipping out of control. He was becoming…_soft_. Yes, soft was the perfect word. His punishments were no longer amusing to him. In fact, it was sometimes difficult to watch when his prisoners were being tortured or his servants were being disciplined. He used to love destroying villages and taking things from the poor villagers. Breaking their spirit had always sent his blood pumping. Lately, he seemed to be plagued with dreams of Inuyasha's life; the old woman and his mother frequently appeared in them.

Nozomu, in his fit of anger, flipped his desk over with a growl. Inuyasha was _not_ going to win, not now, not ever. He needed to speak with Naraku urgently. He was proving to be a headache instead of being reliable as he claimed to be. There was no time for games anymore. If Naraku did not produce any results this final time, then he was no longer useful to him.

A knock sounded at the door. Nozomu smiled as the scent of this person reached his nose. _Just the person I wanted to see._

"Enter, Naraku." He called, turning to fully face his subordinate.

The door creaked opened and then opened all the way, Naraku walking in its wake. Nozomu watched him closely as he gazed around the room, taking in the flipped desk and the pieces of glass that had suffered Nozomu's wrath.

"Is everything alright, my king?" Naraku asked, keeping his voice even and his face devoid of any surprise.

Nozomu ignored the question. "I need that jewel now, Naraku. No more games. It must be found."

"Of course, my king." Naraku bowed.

"I will not tolerate any mistakes this time." Nozomu stared Naraku down. "I'm giving you three days. No more."

Naraku bowed without a word and turned, leaving the rundown and partially destroyed room with his 'King'.

Nozomu glanced out of his window. Three days was already too long, but he knew there was nothing else to be done. He just needed to be cautious and make sure that he did nothing to trigger Inuyasha. But of course, it was easier said than done.

_I need to stay in control, but how? _Nozomu thought, turning and leaving his office in a rush.

Naraku slammed his door. Nozomu was pissing him off. _How dare he demand results! _He was getting fed up with being pushed around. Things were going to be a pain. Granted, he didn't mind moving forward with his plans. He too had become impatient. It was time to confront the slave girl again, Kagome. Being the reincarnation of Kikyo, she was tied to the jewel, whether she knew it or not.

Naraku paused, and thought for a second. He took a seat, placing his feet on the desk. There was a possibility that Midoriko had told her something about the jewel.

"That makes sense," he mumbled to himself. It made perfect sense! Naraku grinned. Kagome was the key to his success. He had to somehow get Kagome alone without Nozomu being aware of it. That was going to be a challenge only because Nozomu was always around Kagome, never really letting her out of his sight. He needed to get Kagome to follow him without alarming her or Nozomu and she needed to keep it a secret from him as well.

_But how?_

Naraku stood and walked around the room. There had to be something he could do without comprising his position. He only had three days. In three days, he needed to get his hands on the jewel and Nozomu out of the way for good or his plan would fail. He'd never be able to have his desired power then.

He knew just the three people to call on. It was time to take a trip to his home away from the castle. Desperate times called for desperate measures. Naraku wasn't too sure if his plan was going to work, but there was no time for procrastination. He left his room and headed towards his destination. Nozomu would not notice him gone, Kagome was sure to make it so. She was proving to be useful.

Naraku traveled for most of the day to his home, taking several routes to make sure he was not being followed. He was situated far enough that no one knew of his location, yet close enough to be near the castle and in watching distance of Nozomu. He wasn't too keen on surprises and Nozomu was full of them.

Walking through a cave covered with vines, he sighed seeing his home. It was great to be back, but there was no time to relax. Picking up his speed, he opened his door and looked around. Everything was clean and in place.

His ears picked up the sound of a cup hitting something solid. "I'm surprised to see you here Naraku." A female voice said from a table in a far corner.

Naraku smirked. "Things have changed. I need to get the jewel now and you're going to help me."

An eyebrow shot up. "Oh really?" The female voice purred.

"Yes, whether you like it or not Kagura. I could use Kanna as well." Naraku walked in and closed the door.

Kagura leaned forward on the table. "And what would you have me do?"

Naraku grinned. "I need Nozomu distracted for a while I take care of my business."

"What would you like me to do?"

"Seduce him, of course." Another smirk appeared on his face.

"My Naraku, I can't wait." Kagura said with a predatory smile.

He laughed. "Good. Go fetch Kana. We need to leave as soon as possible."

Kagura left to find Kanna. His plan had to work. Kagura seducing Nozomu was not going to be easy, not without a little help. Naraku had to perfect drink to help loosen Nozomu up for Kagura's advances. While she was with Nozomu, Naraku planned to use Kanna to knock Kagome unconscious just long enough to extract information from her. It was a fool proof plan. No mistakes, he couldn't chance it. Play time was over.

Kagome's day started slow, but now that the sun was higher in the sky there were more chores to do than before. She barely had a chance to catch her breath and had to rush through her chores to get the next wave. Still, though her hands were occupied with the laundry, the cleaning and the scrubbing, her mind was somewhere else entirely.

There was not a moment that hadn't passed that she hadn't thought the recent events of her life, about how nothing was the same as it had been before. As she bent over in backbreaking work, she remembered how she had lost her freedom so many times she couldn't count. She remembered how easy her life had been before, before the war and before the deaths of her family and her only caretaker, Midoriko. It seemed like fate was just waiting to see how much heartbreak she could take without breaking herself.

Kagome could clearly remember the intense and burning gaze of Nozomu the first time he laid eyes on her. Though she had never thought of herself as a great beauty, he must have seen something in her that made him claim her as his. Fate was even crueler to have had her become involved with a prophecy that carried the weight of defeating the blood-crazed demon that had terrorized so many kingdoms for so many years the moment she had been born. No matter how she looked at it, everything had started there. Kagome often wished she hadn't been born, but she would shake her head and count her blessings, one by one. It was the only reason she hadn't gone mad yet and the only reason she was able to tolerate Nozomu.

Kagome sat up and sighed loudly. She had finally finished for the day and was free to go back to her room, but now that these thoughts had begun swirling in her head, she wanted to go talk to her brother. The only way she could do that was to ask Nozomu, but she was still a little afraid to.

Still, her brother hadn't seen her since that encounter in the dungeon, when she had willingly given Nozomu complete power over her to keep her brother safe. She had to let him know that she was still okay. Kagome breathed in deeply and called her courage to take a stand. She had decided.

As she made her way to Nozomu's office, she fervently prayed that he would be in a good mood. Maybe then he'd let her go without any type of protest. She knocked once on the intimidating oak wood door. She heard a reply and proceeded, holding her breath as she pushed the door open.

Nozomu glanced up from his papers, prepared to yell at the person who had dared intrude on his work but once his sight caught the beautiful form of Kagome, he couldn't find anything to say. She had never sought him out before like this. Could it be that she had a change of heart?

"I came to ask for something." She looked as if she dreaded coming to ask him something. Nozomu smirked, leaning back into his chair. He loved being in control of the situation.

"What is it?"

"I want to see my brother."

Nozomu stayed silent as he regarded her request. True, he did tell her to come and ask him to see her demented brother, but he didn't want her talking to him at all. His thoughts then turned to their last time down in the dungeon and the smirk on his face became greedier than before.

He stood up and walked to Kagome until there was little more than a book widths space between them. He knew the anxiety he caused her, and though he was trying to make her fall for him, he enjoyed putting her through it. To Kagome's credit, though, she didn't lower her face or even her eyes. She kept them steady on his and it was times like these he remembered what had made him stop that day. That fire—that spark inside her—was what amused him and prevented him (apart from other things) from tossing her aside for not giving in to him.

"Fine," He said, picking up a piece of her soft, dark hair and feeling it between his fingers. "But don't forget our agreement."

"I don't need to be reminded." She responded. Nozomu lifted an eyebrow at her tone, which sounded as if she tried her best to not remember. "If you have nothing more to say, then I'm going to leave now." She turned to leave but Nozomu caught her wrist and pulled her back to him, crushing her to his chest.

He smiled wickedly as he dealt the punishment he knew would shake her the most. "You won't be sleeping in your own bed tonight, Kagome. I want you in mine."

Nozomu watched as Kagome froze against him. Silently, she pushed him away and left, not uttering a word of protest. He watched her leave with a grin of satisfaction.

There was nothing he couldn't have. Nothing.

Kagome ran out of the room as fast as she could without alerting Nozomu to her feelings, but before she could even hit the stairs to the dungeon, the tears began running down her face and she collapsed into a heap on the floor. She couldn't control herself enough that Sango found her that way a few minutes later.

"Kagome, what's wrong?" She asked as she picked her up from the floor.

But Kagome couldn't find the words to tell Sango that her worst nightmare would become real in a few precious hours. She couldn't say what she felt as she led her to her room. She tried telling her thank you but Sango grabbed her by the shoulders. "What's wrong, Kagome? Why are you crying like this?"

"I…can't," Kagome sobbed, her breathing uneven. "Nozomu…"

"What did that bastard do now?" Sango whispered harshly as she closed the door to Kagome's door.

Kagome sat down on her bed and cried some more while Sango rubbed her back soothingly, all the while trying to coax the truth out of her. It wasn't until Kagome had calmed down that she began telling her what had occurred in Nozomu's office.

"The only thing I had over him," Kagome began, wiping her dripping nose. "is about to be taken away. How do I know that you and the others will still be safe after this?"

"Kagome, I'm sure we'll be alright, but what surprises me is how you can think of us when the most damage done will be to you!" Sango cried, astonished at her friend's ability to always put others first.

"It's the only way I don't go crazy, Sango." Kagome smiled through her tears. "I just think of all the good I'm doing for you guys and I forget everything that's troubling me."

Sango's eyes filled with tears for her closest friend as she lunged at her to hug her tight. The two friends parted ways a little bit later, once Kagome was more composed to see her brother. There was no way she was going to tell him what Nozomu had asked of her for his sake. Even if her brother had told her not to, she couldn't find a better reason to do what Nozomu wanted. Her friends and her brother's life spared was the greatest gift anyone could give her.

Kagome found that going to find her brother was less troubling now that she had cried her sorrows out a bit. Instead of seeing it as a stone in her way, she'd use it to make herself stronger. There was no other way if she really was to defeat Nozomu like the prophecy said. She needed all the courage she could get.

"Souta?" Kagome called as she entered the hall where his cell was.

"Kagome?" came the faint reply.

She came up to the cell with the biggest smile as she looked at her little brother. He no longer looked thin or beat up. He had some color back in his cheeks and they didn't seem as hollow as they had been last time. He reached out and grabbed her hand between the bars. "I'm so glad you're still okay. Anything new?"

Kagome carefully kept her smile, refusing to let it slip and reveal what she wanted to keep secret. "No, nothing particularly new, but you seem to be doing well."

Souta smiles slightly. "They've been feeding more now. They've even given me sheets." He gestures to the blankets that made up a makeshift bed. "It's better than nothing."

"I'm just glad you're fine," Kagome sighed. She clutched her brother's hand. "You're always on my mind."

"And you're always on mine, Kagome."

Kagome smiled. "I came to see how you were doing but also to ask you who the rebellion leader is."

Souta sighed and then glanced around them. "Is there anyone else here?"

"No." Kagome shook her head.

"Well, then." Souta looked reluctant to spill, but he knew he could trust his sister. "The kingdom I work for is one of the few tough nuts left. Nozomu has tried just about everything but killing everyone himself and has failed. We knew of the prophecy because of some traveling monks who were spreading the word." He then sighed. "Poor men; Nozomu got to them before we did."

Kagome closed her eyes and sighed. There was no telling what Nozomu was capable of. "Who's your leader then?"

"King Sesshomaru," he answered and shrugged. "There's a rumor that he's Nozomu's half-brother, on his father's side."

Kagome lifted an eyebrow. "I had no idea he had family."

"Well, it is just a rumor, but you can't deny the resemblance between them. It's uncanny."

Kagome lowered her head and pondered this last bit of information. If there were any way, she'd go to this king and ask him some questions, but that surely was out of her reach. She couldn't run away, even if she wanted to.

Souta was startled at Kagome's sudden change in demeanor. "Are you okay, Kagome?"

"I'm fine." She plastered a smile on her face, although she was far from fine. "I just need to go take care of some things, alright?"

Her brother nodded and after a quick hug through the bars and a kiss on the cheek, she left to enjoy herself for what surely might the last night she would ever be completely free. The last thing she had been dangling in front of Nozomu was about to be taken away.

There was just no other option.

The day went by too quickly for Kagome. She visited all of her friends after completing the rest of her chores, spending time with Rin since she hadn't played with her in a long while. She disclosed nothing to Ayame, so as not to alarm her but she did inform Miroku. She wanted him to plan an escape plan if it were necessary.

"You promise to keep them safe if I can't?" Kagome had asked, gripping Miroku's hand. She knew he had feelings for Sango so she was fairly sure he would do it.

"With my own life." He held Kagome's held tightly.

Kagome could only hang her head and whisper softly. "Thank you."

Now, the night had come upon them and most of the castle had hit the hay, so to speak. The candle in her room burned softly as she held a note from Nozomu, which had come with a nightgown he wanted her to wear. Kagome fingered the cloth and found it as soft as a feather. What surprised her most was that the nightgown didn't expose much of her body like she thought it would. Instead, it reached her knees and covered her breasts adequately, although she did notice that they almost didn't quite fit all the way inside. Her cheeks burned red at the thought of Nozomu seeing her like this.

_You can do this, Kagome. _She thought to herself_. Think of the others. You've fought well for them. They'll be safe now._

Somehow, she was able to find the courage to walk to the door and grab the gold encrusted knob. She hesitated, wondering what she might find on the other side. There was no telling if Nozomu was just going to wait for her to get in bed or just grab her right as she walked in. She thought it horrible to choose the way she wanted her virginity taken, but she definitely preferred the first option.

She twisted the knob and the door creaked eerily as she opened it. Gingerly stepping into the room, she noticed the soft lights of carefully placed candles around the room flickering romantically. _If you could call having your way with a woman against her will romantic, _she thought.

There seemed to be no sign of Nozomu yet. She glanced at the bed, and quickly came up with a desperate plan. Maybe, if he thought she was asleep, he'd leave her alone.

She almost laughed at her idiocy. Nozomu could smell a lie from miles away. There was no way she could get away with that. Besides, she wanted to face Nozomu face to face and not cower like a weakling. If she was to give him what was most precious to her, she was going down as defiant as she could. He would be hard-pressed to find a braver woman out there and she wanted to make sure he knew that she was _not_ doing this willingly.

Every step of the way.

"My, aren't we thoughtful, tonight?"

Kagome froze as she felt the whisper of Nozomu's voice tickle her ear. She hadn't even heard him come in. He didn't seem to want a reply, so Kagome kept quiet.

Nozomu smirked. She was squirming, he knew it. The way she didn't respond must have been her way of telling him she didn't want this. _Well_, he thought, _That can be easily remedied._

He placed his hands on top of her milky white shoulders and let them fall against her arms, all the way down, barely touching her skin as he did. He felt a shiver go through Kagome and her stance became tenser. He only smirked again.

Kagome tried her best to not show any emotion, but her body was acting of its own accord. She had never been touched by a man in this way and what had he had just done sent shivers down her spine; she had to bite back a moan. She was horrified that her body so easily succumbed to his touches.

Desiring to get at least somewhere that night, because Nozomu was not going to claim his prize just yet, he turned her around and pressed his lips against hers. He dragged her to their bed—as he liked to think of it now—and lowered her down gently. Kagome wanted to push away, but the way he held her made her body ache and that scared her the most. She could feel her control slipping away as he opened her mouth and plunged in, as if devouring her and tasting her at the same time. Kagome had to give him credit where it was due; the kiss was better than the one she had forced him into before. Her mind was shouting to pull back, do something, but her body was reacting in ways she had never experienced before. She couldn't break away.

It made her nervous, even as she felt the tremors of pleasure coursing through her veins. She needed to get a hold on herself and quickly if she wanted to salvage her pride and the bravery that had somehow walked out the door.

Nozomu was losing himself as he held Kagome. He couldn't think quite clearly as his hands traveled and touched her skin, which was fiery to the touch. He knew he wasn't going to take her completely tonight, but it was becoming hard to reign himself in. Everything around him was Kagome, Kagome, Kagome. Better than any other woman he had ever bedded. Her innocence was the sweetest part and he relished in it.

Kagome's hands met sculpted abs and a muscular chest. She tried pushing away, but Nozomu was too busy extracting what he could from her to even notice the harmless pressure against his chest. Kagome couldn't help but notice the fact that his body was so defined…it made her heart race even when she didn't want to. Heat pooled inside her and Kagome gave an involuntary moan, of which Nozomu felt pleased and delighted in. It wasn't until she felt a pressure against her thigh that she snapped out of it.

_Oh god, what the hell am I doing?_

Nozomu was too surprised to notice when Kagome pushed him, and this time he did go back. He laid on his back catching his breath in silence, watching in satisfaction what he had done to Kagome. Her head was muddled, scrambled with all the desire and lust still coursing through her. Even he could still feel it and it elated him.

Kagome berated herself severely for having succumbed to Nozomu's advances so easily. She cursed her body and felt like it had betrayed her. If she hadn't felt…w_hat she felt_…she might have done something she would've regretted. The thought made her blush. Now, since the haze of pleasure had disappeared, she could think more clearly. She breathed in and out to calm her racing heart. She didn't want a repeat of what had just happened so she scooted to the very farthest edge of the bed and pulled the sheets tightly around her.

Nozomu almost laughed, but kept himself in check as he watched Kagome's reaction. He didn't care at the moment that she had moved . He was still being carried away by how he made her feel. He couldn't help the smile on his face and he was glad that Kagome's back was facing him. He didn't want her to see what she did to him.

He closed his eyes, knowing that when Naraku came back with the jewel and he'd become infallible, he would enjoy taking his sweet time becoming intimate with Kagome's body.

The next day, as Kagome went about doing her chores, her thoughts came to rest on the events of the previous night. She blushed a deep red and shook her head, trying to forget the whole ordeal. It seemed like all she wanted to think about was how he had made her feel, how his hands had touched all the right places, how his lips moved against hers…

_There I go again_, Kagome thought. _I really need to get a grip. _She sighed and kept on scrubbing, wondering why Nozomu hadn't taken advantage of her during the rest of the night. She hadn't slept much, in fear that he might attack her but he did no such thing. Instead, he slept the whole night and didn't even try getting close to her the whole time. When she had woken up in the morning, he was already gone. There was no discussion and since she hadn't seen him practically the whole day, she had no idea what was going on in his head. She hated not knowing how to gauge him. It made her feel on edge.

She had also gotten a lot of very pointed stares. More than once did the ladies that belonged to the court glare at her. Kagome knew that they thought she had gotten some action from Nozomu, but Kagome didn't want to confirm the fact that they were only sleeping in the same room and in the same bed by retaliating. That would only make things worse.

Out of nowhere, a loud crack of thunder roared through the castle. Kagome made her way over to a window and noticed the angry looking gray clouds that began to drop water over the dried up courtyard. She frowned as she noticed that no one had gone out to pull down the sheets that were now getting wet. She flew down the stairs and out in the courtyard to pull the string of clothing back into the walked them to the wash lady, who only clucked her tongue at the fact that none of her workers had brought them and that Kagome, who was only in charge of keeping the floors clean, had to bring them in.

Kagome sighed as she walked back to her room. Although Nozomu required her to sleep with him, she still used her old room to change and do other things that weren't absolutely necessary in Nozomu's room. At least she still had that.

After changing into a dry nightgown, Kagome glanced at the mirror. There was nothing different about her but inside she felt all twisted and confused. Nothing made sense. From the plans Nozomu had for the jewel to the way she had let him touch her last night. She sank down on the mattress and lied down, sighing very loudly. It felt like she would never have an answer to anything.

She hadn't seen Sango or anyone for that matter, during the day. It was a little odd, but certainly not uncommon to go days without seeing them. They all had responsibilities to take care of. _Where do I fall in?_ Kagome thought. _Am I Kagome the refugee or the girl from the prophecy?_

Getting up abruptly, she made her way to the door and opened it to reveal Nozomu's room. She had no idea why she had done that, but she was surprised to see what was on the other side.

Nozomu lay on his bed, sound asleep. It looked like he had been in a hurry to get some rest because he hadn't changed into any sleepwear.

Kagome lifted a hand to touch his face, but the twitching of his ears caught her eye. She let her fingers run over them and she almost giggled in girlish delight at how soft they were. If Nozomu saw her like that, she would probably never show her face to him again.

Speaking about faces, she noticed how peaceful and non-evil he looked like when he was asleep. It seemed like he could be just a regular old king with a regular old kingdom and not the bloody past he had. He looked much more handsome this way, she had to admit. He wasn't glaring or smirking or any of the like. It was all just him.

A lock of his silver hair fell as he adjusted himself and this time, he frowned. Kagome watched as he began to turn and toss about, as if he was in pain. It occurred to her that he was probably having a nightmare. His face distorted as the lightning flashed and the thunder boomed. She wondered whether or not she should wake him, but she decided against it because she didn't know what he would do if she did. Instead, she got into the bed, again to the farthest edge. She didn't want to not be there if he woke up in fear of any punishment.

She tried ignoring him, but his movements were making her fall off the bed. She sat up, turned around and was caught by the urge to touch his face again. His expressions were so pained that Kagome couldn't help but try to comfort him; it was a natural instinct.

She just wasn't prepared for the consequences.

The moment she had touched his face, she froze and suddenly all of these memories that weren't hers began playing in her mind, like a vision. She gasped, watching as a smaller Nozomu hid as he watched his mother die at the hands of his own grandfather, how he had to run away with the only other person who cared for him and seeing her die by the hands of bandits. Tears fell as feelings that weren't hers, of despair, longing, hopelessness and hatred stirred in her. She saw how Nozomu's grandfather threatened to kill him, calling him an abomination and declaring him less than a human.

She couldn't take it anymore; the feelings were to overwhelming and coming too fast. She was sure she would have curled up in a ball if she wasn't frozen. No wonder Nozomu was the way he was; he had so much to hate the world for. It was in the same way she hated Nozomu, because he had taken her family away from her.

But could she hate him, now that she had seen all this, felt his grief and sorrow first hand, seen it played out in front of her? How could she not feel sympathy for a man who never had a friend when he was a child, who had everyone he loved and loved him ripped away from him and who's own family member wanted him dead?

Suddenly, the scenes melted away and a small light appeared, slowly growing brighter and larger until it was almost blinding. Kagome, in her vision, walked toward it, hand outstretched.

A clawed hand found her wrist. "Kagome," He sounded happy. "You've finally found me."

She looked up into his eyes, those haunting eyes that followed her in her dreams and plagued her thoughts day and night. "You? Why are you here?"

He shook his head, and for the first time, Kagome got a good look at him. He was very similar to Nozomu in hair and body build, but his face was kinder, his touch gentle and his eyes—his eyes had no hatred, no blood-lust. Instead, the brilliant gold was filled with love. "Can't tell you. Now that you've found me, you can free me." He squeezed Kagome's hands. "You know how to do it." He began to fade, the light dimming as he did.

"Can't you at least give me a hint to how to free you?" Kagome pleaded, watching him fade even more. "Please!"

Right when Kagome thought he was going to vanish, his lips moved and she swore she heard him say, "Izayoi."

The vision suddenly broke off, leaving Kagome where she had started. She pulled her hand away, clutching it into her chest, tears falling down again as she was able to remember the pain. She made sure to not make a sound, for fear of waking Nozomu, but she didn't think he would. He was still, a look of peace now on his face. Kagome didn't know how he could stand it; the pain would be too much for her to handle by herself.

Wishing to dwell no more on the subject, Kagome laid on the bed again, not caring that she lay close to Nozomu. She closed her eyes, but those disturbing images crowded her thoughts, to the point that she almost forgot about the stranger with the gold eyes.

Her mind reeled. He said that she had found him. Did that mean he was somewhere here in the room? No, that would to ridiculous. She would have noticed him. He had whispered Izayoi, and now Kagome was intrigued greatly. It seemed all three men—Inuyasha, who's mother's name she knew to be Izayoi, Nozomu, who had her name in a letter and the stranger—had some tie to this woman. Was it possible that she was the key to unravel the mysteries and even help her find a way to end Nozomu's bloody reign?

Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep and for the first time since she had entered the castle, she slept peacefully.

Kagome woke up the next day sprawled against the bed. She stretched and then remembered where she was. She glanced around and sat up, not seeing Nozomu anywhere in the room. She sighed in relief and got up to dress herself; he had probably left for some meeting.

Today, Kagome was going to get things done. She would complete all her chores as quickly as she possible so that she could go find Miroku. They hadn't spoken about Naraku in while, and she wanted to see if he had any updates on him or the purposes of the jewel. She was even hoping to visit the tower, just to see if Inuyasha was in there. Maybe he might remember something that could help him and her.

As she went about her chores, her thoughts wandered to what she had witnessed and felt last night. It was like they had been imprinted on her, like a stain she couldn't out of her clothes. At first, she wondered if it had all been a crazy dream, but she shook her head. No dream could be that vivid and so morbid.

Finally, once she had completed her chores, she went off to find Miroku. She checked into the kitchen to see if she could get a bite to eat and to see whether or not Totosai knew where she might find Miroku.

"Kagome," Totosai smiled, lading soup into a bowl and handing it to her as she sat down in her usual stool. "It had been long, my child."

"Too long." Kagome thanked him and sipped the warm soup. "I came to see if you knew where I could find Miroku right now."

"He could be anywhere now, but recently he's taken a liking to the south side of the castle." He shrugged and handed Kagome a cup of water.

Kagome quickly finished the food and drank her water. "Well, thanks for telling me." She smiled, saying goodbye and bounding away to find Miroku.

Nozomu sat in his study, looking over various papers that required his attention. Even with his hands occupied, his mind wandered to last night. He had fallen asleep early, a rarity for him, without even trying again with Kagome. He hadn't expected her to come by herself, but she had. Apart from that she had stayed closer to him than the first night. He felt that he had gained some ground with her. He grinned.

They all fell for him in the end.

The only thing that bothered him was the fact that he dreamt about his, or better said, Inuyasha's past; they were nightmares in fact. He hadn't had one in years, and remembering them bothered him. He knew that he couldn't have stayed still last night. Did Kagome see him like that? He hoped she hadn't. He would have looked weak and he hated being that way.

Still, he couldn't get over how beautiful she looked when he left that morning. There was just something about her that drew him in. He had seen many women of the court flaunt themselves in front of him, laying their wares in front of him, so to speak, but Kagome was not like those women. She had fire, determination and her own will. She didn't use any type of color on her face yet she looked more elegant than the wretched females of the court. Simple but graceful, she was a true beauty.

His thought process were interrupted when there was a knock on the door. He grunted for the person to come in. The door opened to reveal a servant of Naraku, who carried a cup filled with something to drink on a silver platter.

"Your Majesty," The servant spoke. "Naraku sends this drink as a gift; he has found what you have sought after for such a long time. This is from the place they found what you wanted. He will be back later tonight." He laid the cup on Nozomu's desk and left as quickly as he had come in.

Nozomu was frozen with surprise; he almost didn't know what to say. The thing he had sought for so long was finally within his grasp. An evil grin spread on his face; he could finally get rid of Inuyasha. The day had finally come.

He grabbed the drink Naraku had sent. He had finally been worth keeping. Now it didn't matter what he did to him. He downed the cup easily and was surprised to see that it tasted delicious. He would celebrate tonight, yes.

And he would do it by finally getting what he wanted from Kagome.

It took her a while to find him, but Totosai had been right. She found him coming from the south entrance, a serious expression on his face. Kagome raised an eyebrow but quickly caught up with him before he could disappear deeper into the castle.

"Miroku!" Kagome called, trying to get his attention. Miroku glanced up and smiled pleasantly at her.

"Kagome, just the person I wanted to see."

"Really?" Kagome asked. "I needed to talk to you to. About Naraku."

Miroku nodded. "You're in luck. I found some interesting information about him, thanks to some contacts."

"What do you have?"

Miroku glanced around and pulled Kagome farther away into the shadows to conceal themselves and keep their conversation out of the ears of others. "According to my sources, Naraku was reprimanded by Nozomu for not having found the jewel." Kagome gasped slightly, but did not interrupt. "Nozomu was really angry and trashed his study because of it. He gave Naraku three days to get him the jewel."

"Three days? If he hasn't found it in all these years, how does Nozomu expect Naraku to find it in three days?" Kagome whispered harshly, astonished that Nozomu would ask such an impossible thing.

"I don't know," Miroku shook his head, "but there's more. I was also told that Naraku left in the middle of the night and came back before daybreak."

"Do you think he has somewhere else he goes to?" Kagome whispered.

"Maybe. I certainly don't see him roaming the halls at night."

"He's not going to find the jewel." Kagome stated, suddenly realizing the most vital piece of information that had slipped her mind. In her attempt to not feel the pain after Midoriko's death, Kagome had blocked her mind from thinking anything related to her. The conversation long ago in the dungeon cell bubbled to the surface of her mind. How could she have forgotten such an important piece of information?

"How do you know?" Miroku asked, confused.

"Because I have it."

Miroku stared blankly at her, no doubt taking in this piece of information. "Didn't you mention that once, when we first started talking about it?"

Kagome sighed. "I can't remember at the moment. I've been so caught up with the most recent events that my mind goes blank when I try to remember all the things we've talked about." She rubbed the bridge of her nose in an effort to ward away the headache she could feel coming on.

"I've also had that problem. Things haven't been going well around the castle since Nozomu became so agitated." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "He's going to stop at nothing, you know."

Kagome bit her lip, thinking about what this all meant. She had so many pieces of the puzzle but she was missing one huge, very vital piece of information. She needed to find the connection that Nozomu and the stranger had to Izayoi and if it was the same person as Inuyasha's mother.

"Miroku, I have to go investigate something." She uncrossed her arms and began to turn away, "There just might be something that can connect all of these pieces."

Naraku laughed as he watched a disoriented Nozomu stumble his way to his room from a concealed visage point. It had been too easy to disguise himself as one of his servants and serve the drink that would ultimately disarm Nozomu. What a fool Nozomu had been to underestimate the likes of him.

"Are you ready yet, Kagura?"

Red eyes flashed in the darkness, her voice silky and sultry as she responded. "Ready when you are, Naraku."

Naraku grinned maliciously. "Good. Fly after the prey."

With a flourish, Kagura appeared, her appearance slightly altered so that when Nozomu would see her, under the influence of the tonic Naraku had so deviously served him, he would see Kagome. He had instructed her not to speak, as he might recognize that it wasn't really Kagome through the haze the tonic created.

She just gave him a backward glance as she followed into Nozomu's bedchamber shortly after him.

"Now, to claim my real prize." Naraku smiled, turning away and heading for the South Tower.

Kagome was almost out of breath when she reached Nozomu's door. She had remembered the letter that was still in the top drawer of his dresser, the one that contained the name Izayoi. Kagome thought if she presented the letter to Inuyasha, it might spark a memory that might lead to a connection she could use to end Nozomu and free both Inuyasha and the stranger with the beautiful gold eyes. She turned the handle slowly, hoping to not find Nozomu there.

What she found was something she hadn't expected.

Nozomu lay on top of a woman—Kagome couldn't tell who she was—naked, obviously enjoying himself as they tumbled between the sheets. She quickly shut the door, her heart racing at this new development. For a moment, she was shocked. All thoughts of the letter flew out of her mind as she closed her eyes to calm herself.

She had told herself so many times that this would happen; that one day he would tire of her and move on to another woman who was more willing to give him everything about her. She knew and yet it still startled her to see him with another woman in the bed that he had ordered to share with her.

A major part of her bargaining chips were gone now; it was only because Nozomu kept her around and found her attractive that her friends hadn't died and that her brother was still alive. Now what could she use?

Still, as she regarded the feelings inside her, Kagome found that not all of her fear and regret stemmed from not having a way to save her brother of her friends. There was a part, a part Kagome hated to admit existed, that almost seemed to have kept wanting to be in Nozomu's attention. As much as she hated to think about it, she had spent so much time in it and now without it, it felt like she had become someone to not take note of, almost as if she had defied him all this time just to prove she was unique among the throngs of women that prostrated themselves at his feet.

But would she do that now?

Kagome shook her head and opened her eyes. It didn't matter what Nozomu thought of her, even if the slight ache in her chest indicated otherwise. Now she had limited time to find a way to get rid of Nozomu. She had a couple of days at most, before Nozomu would decide what to do with her. She was certainly not going to stand there with her arms crossed and wait.

Knowing that any thought of getting the letter was lost, she sprinted down the hall to her room and quickly entered. She moved the dresser that hid the key that opened the South Tower, removing it from its hiding place and placing in her front pocket. All she could hope for now was that Inuyasha was there. Maybe just mentioning the letter might be enough.

She ran to the other side of the castle, hoping and wishing that Inuyasha would be there. She concentrated on figuring out a way safely out the castle, so that when she came back, she could get herself and the others out and into the kingdom that had sent Souta there in the first place. She would team up with them, explain who she was and find a way to defeat Nozomu.

She fumbled with the key for a second, but was finally able to unlock the door and push it open. She walked in carelessly and almost tripped, cursing herself for not bringing in a candle with her. She squinted in the dark and felt a shiver run down her spine.

"Inuyasha?"

A flame flickered on, and when Kagome saw his face, she knew she was in trouble. "Naraku," she whispered in fear.

An smile spread on his face as he took a step forward. "Hello, Kagome."

**XXX**

**Daichi: *drags herself on the ground* I *gasp* finally have *gasp* the chapter! *gasps even more***

**Sorry this was so late! It's all my fault for my stupid internet connection and my computer for flipping out on me and deciding that it wanted to have a problem and get it fixed. Please don't blame Rockerchick. Inflict all your hate one me! *cowers in corner***

**Still, though, this chapter is super-mega long and has AMAZING scenes (you know you liked it . . .) and an EPIC CLIFF HANGER! You can hate me for that too. Review you guys! Please? :D**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: Don't own Inuyasha or characters. I do own the prophecy mentioned throughout the chapters. Inuyasha's demon name Nozomu: Desire.**

**Note: Bold is Inuyasha speaking, _Italic is Nozomu speaking_**

**Chapter 19: Storms brewing**

Kagome groaned as she sat up. She gripped her pounding head as she tried to focus on her surroundings and past events. _What happened to me? _Thoughts swirling, she tried to make sense of them. A room—she was in a room that wasn't her own. There were no windows, but a small light on a table next to the bed. Looking down at herself, she noticed that her clothes were different, an outfit Midoriko wore. Someone had changed her. Kagome tried to remember the last thing that happened to her. Naraku—she ran into Naraku and there was a little girl next to him. The next thing she knew, she was surrounded by darkness.

It was obvious that she was in Naraku's home, but what did he want with her? Could it be that he knew that she had figured him out? Or maybe he knew that she had the Shikon Jewel? Kagome hoped it wasn't the last one. She needed to get back to the castle, to her friends, to Nozomu, to Inuyasha. Standing up, she leaned against the wall to balance herself. When the room stopped spinning she slowly made her way to the door.

_I have to get out of here! I . . _.Right at that moment, the door swung open, revealing a smiling Naraku. _No!_

"Hello, Kagome." Naraku stepped into the room, closing it behind him. Kagome backed away with each step he took forward, landing back where she started, on the bed. "I hope you are . . ." he paused as he found the word he was looking for, still smiling at her. "comfortable."

Kagome scooted as far away from him as possible before speaking. "What do you want with me, Naraku?" She glared at him even though she was shaking. Being alone with Naraku was dangerous—let alone frightening. It was obvious he was powerful; she feared what he wanted to do with her.

His voice was syrupy sweet. "My sweet Kagome—"

"Don't call me that!" Kagome shouted, her hands curling into anxious fists. What was he thinking?

"You look so beautiful—just like I always thought you would in those miko clothes." He grinned and walked over to the other side of the bed. She flinched when he touched her hair, and a cold shiver ran down her back as he brought it to his lips to kiss tenderly. "You look just like her."

Kagome pulled away, her expression confused. She pushed the thought aside. "N-Nozomu will come for me and when he does, he will kill you for what you've done."

Naraku sighed and shook his head. "Nozomu is too busy right now to think about you. Besides, I made him what he is today." He then smiled devilishly. "I can take it all away too."

Kagome gasped, the final piece of the puzzle clicking inside her mind. She figured that Naraku had something to do with Nozomu; he was the mastermind behind finding the jewel! But of all things, she never expected him to be the one that made Nozomu what he was today; a bloodthirsty King who wanted power as much as he _had_ wanted her in his bed. _So Nozomu wasn't always as he was? But how is that possible?_

"I don't believe you!" She shrieked.

"It's okay that you don't believe me now, Kagome, but you will in time." He said as he walked toward the door. "Now rest up Kagome. You have a big day tomorrow. We have much to discuss."

"You and I have nothing to discuss." She spat out, angry.

"Oh, but I believe we do my dear. The Shikon Jewel." Kagome gasped. "So you've heard of it? Excellent. Now, if you'll excuse me, I best be off." Naraku disappeared behind the door and Kagome could hear the click of the lock as he left.

Kagome ran to it and pulled and twisted the nob, but the door did not budge. Out of desperation, she hit the door, hoping to do _something_ to it.

"You can't keep me here! Nozomu will come for me!" She choked out.

There was no response and she slid to the floor in defeat. She could not help the sob that escaped her lips. Trapped—she was trapped with no way out and no one to come save her. Naraku was right; Nozomu would be too busy to notice her missing. She thought about seeing him in bed with another woman. Yeah, it was impossible. She was alone.

Her thoughts traveled back to what Naraku had said before. She resembled someone, but who? It was obvious that a lot more was going on than she knew. Naraku knew about the jewel, but he did not know that she possessed it. It was only a matter of time before he found out, but at least she had that.

**XXX**

Nozomu licked, touched, and groped whatever he could get his hands on. He could not believe that she was finally his, Kagome. He knew it was a matter of time before she would become his. He grinned as she moaned and writhed beneath him.

**NO!**

Nozomu paused, looking around in the room. No one was there but he and Kagome.

"Nozomu," he looked down at Kagome as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. "Don't stop please." He gave his head a shake before returning to his task, caressing every inch of skin.

He was loving her scent, the feel of her naked flesh against his, the way her body was responding to his touches. Kagome was _his_.

**NOT KAGOME!**

Nozomu growled, realizing the voice was Inuyasha's. He was becoming a lot stronger all of sudden. Why would Inuyasha surface now of all times? He never cared when Nozomu bedded other women.

_Shut it! This is Kagome! You know nothing!_

Nozomu felt a small tug in the back of his mind. **NOT KAGOME! Scent is wrong…touch is wrong!**

He gripped Kagome's thighs and abruptly pulled her closer. His lips descended on hers, sucking and tasting. Again he felt a tug, but this time, sharp pain followed.

**NOT KAGOME!** Inuyasha's voice was pleading. **Something is wrong. It's not her!**

_It is! _Nozomu buried his nose against her neck and breathed in. The smell of jasmine filled his nose, but there was something else there, something that just didn't sit quite well with him. He took another sniff and noticed there was another scent, something dark, a smell similar to Naraku. He jerked his head up and peered at Kagome's face and realized for the first time that it was blurry and that he couldn't focus on her image. His head began to pound again.

**Not Kagome.**

"Nozomu?" The voice was different now, no longer the melody he believed he was hearing. Gripping the woman's hands, he pinned her down and growled, concentrating on her face. Something was wrong with his body. His thoughts were jumbled, his actions almost not his own. He could not think straight; everything was in a haze.

Nozomu tried to remember the last thing he did. _Naraku gave me something to drink. He must have put something in it. That bastard! _Taking one hand he wrapped it around the imposter's throat and began to squeeze.

"Tell me who the fuck you are and what Naraku is planning." The imposter's eyes widened and the scent of fear thickened the air. Nozomu's vision was clearing up and he noticed the woman's appearance. She was definitely not Kagome. He swore under his breath and tightened his grip when she did not respond. "Answer me!"

"I…I am Kagura." The sultry, so-not-like-Kagome's voice answered.

"Well Kagura, you better start talking. I'm in no mood for games." When she didn't respond Nozomu smiled. "I had hoped you would be difficult." He grabbed her roughly by the hair until they were nose to nose. "You're gonna help me release some of this stress." With that said, he threw on a robe and dragged her out the room with barely the linens to cover her naked form, down to his office. He did not want to take her to the dungeon with the other prisoner down there. The last thing he needed was for him to listen in on valuable information and relay it back to Kagome.

Speaking of Kagome, Nozomu paused and sniffed the air to see if she was close. He drowned out Kagura's protests and listened. A chill ran down his spine. He was always able to pinpoint Kagome's location, but now there was no sign of her. Her scent was faint, hours old. How was that possible unless…

Snarling, he pulled Kagura up. "Where is she?"

Her face contorted into a smirk."Miss your little slave? Too bad." He growled again and continued down the hall, quickening his pace. He threw the door open and found Naraku sitting behind his desk.

He watched as Naraku looked up, sighed and shook his head.

"Kagura, I thought you had everything under control." Naraku said as he slowly rose from the chair.

"I did! I don't know what happened." She responded.

"What is the meaning of this Naraku?!" Nozomu all but growled, throwing Kagura onto the floor in front of him.

"You should have seen this coming Nozomu." Naraku shook his head and walked to the front of the desk before leaning against it as Kagura scrambled to get out of the way. "You were only a means to an end. Something to keep me entertained, but I have grown tired of your games."

Nozomu lunged towards him, but an invisible force stopped him and pulled him to the ground. He struggled, trying to get up but was unable to move anything but his head. Looking up, he noticed a small child with white hair and black eyes holding a mirror. Kagura stood and walked next to the little girl.

"Do you honestly thing that I would let you kill me?" Naraku laughed hard. "Nozomu, you have always been so weak and stupid. You struggle every day fighting Inuyasha for control. The jewel is mine. I never intended to give it to you. Why would I? You can barely handle the power you have now." Naraku smiled down at him. "This world will be ruled by me. Now, sleep well Nozomu." He raised his hand over the king's face, a purple mist engulfing him. Nozomu struggled to keep his eyes open. Before darkness engulfed him, he heard Naraku's last words. "By the way, Kagome sends her regards."

**XXX**

Miroku turned back into the nearest hallway when he heard Naraku come out of Nozomu's desk. By a stroke of luck, he had been close when the commotion inside had started. He had heard everything. Quickly fumbling his way down to the servants quarters, he remembered Kagome's request. He had hoped to not have to follow it so soon, but he had no choice.

He barged into Sango's room unannounced and the girl jumped to cover herself when she saw the handsome man come in. She was half-dressed, and while any other day Miroku would have gladly taken the opportunity to get to "know" Sango, the girl he thought was as wild as an unbroken horse, the situation was becoming dire.

"Gather all the things you can carry and meet me at the gates in an hour. Bring Ayame and Rin with you as well."

Sango looked at him confused, forgetting her state of undress. "What are you talking about? What's happening?"

Miroku drew closer and embraced her, not caring a bit that she might not feel what he felt for her. "I cannot explain everything right now. I promise to do so once we are safely out of this forsaken castle."

Sango looked as she wanted to argue, but when she saw the urgency in Miroku's eyes as he pushed her away, she just nodded, quickly grabbing what was at arm's reach. He quickly turned away, finding his way to the dungeon. Now that Nozomu's power was no longer effective, Souta had no reason to stay inside his cell. It wasn't hard for him to trick the guard into believing a conjured up story of needing to examine the prisoner, so he was able to get Souta without much trouble.

After relaying the most recent events to Kagome's brother, Souta whispered. "We must notify King Sesshoumaru. He must re-conquer these lands if we want to have any future on them."

"We shall, as soon as we have left this place." He pulled Souta into his room and lent him some of his old clothes that no longer fit him, gathering his own things to escape. He checked the window and saw the darkness was beginning to cover the skies; it seemed like a storm was brewing.

He wondered how it would all end.

**A/N: I know it's been awhile and I would like to say sorry. We have not forgotten our reviewers!**


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: Don't own Inuyasha or characters. I do own the prophecy mentioned throughout the chapters. Inuyasha's demon name Nozomu: Desire.

Note: Bold is Inuyasha speaking, _Italic is Nozomu speaking_

**Chapter 20: Pieces of the Puzzle**

Miroku and the others gathered outside the castle walls through a secret passage he'd discovered during his investigation of Naraku. He couldn't believe that the passage was in such an obvious place that everyone seemed to pass all the time. He waited until he was sure Naraku was no longer in the castle before leading the others to the passage. It was time to leave. Although Kagome was not with them, Miroku knew that she would want them to get out as soon as possible.

After gathering what they could carry, Miroku and Souta met up with the girls. To his surpise, Koga was with them.

"I hope you don't mind that I'm coming. I want to help out too." Koga said. He glanced at Ayame before speaking again. "I want to protect her." Miroku nodded in understanding.

"I can't believe we are out." Sango said as she turned around and stared at the castle walls. "I hope Kagome is okay."

"I'm sorry Sango. I wish I could tell you that everything is going to be okay, but I just don't know." said Miroku as he gave her a brief hug. Rin was silently holding her hand, trying not to cry. He bent down to her height. "We all know that Kagome is a very resourceful person. I am sure she is taking care of herself. We will see her again Rin, do not worry." No one knew what the outcome would be. No one dared to voice it. In their hearts, they believed that Kagome was going to be okay.

Rin nodded, wiping a stray tear away. She put on a brave face.

"Are we all ready?" asked Souta. When everyone nodded, he turned and pointed off to the distance. "We go this way. I will take a few days, but there will be a check point we will come across. Someone will be waiting there."

"Let's go." Miroku said and they all followed behind Souta. Miroku sent a silent pray to the heavens for Kagome's safety. She was the only one who could stop the chaos that was about to unravel.

**XXX**

Kagome laid on her bed exhausted from trying to find a way out. She tried to pick the lock of the door, but that failed. She tried to find a week point in the walls, but that too was a fail. There was no way out. There was no telling when Naraku would return or what he planned to do with her. She hoped that her friends were alright. If what Naraku said to her was true, then everyone was in grave danger.

"What did he mean when he said he made Nozomu what he is now?" thought Kagome out loud. She was so confused and didn't know what to do. Naraku would be back and he would want to know about the Shikon Jewel. She wished that Midoriko was still alive. She always provided wisdom. She began thinking about the first conversation she had with Midoriko the night she found out that Nozomu had captured her as well.

Kagome began pacing the room, thinking hard. "Lady Midoriko spoke more about the prophecy" she mumbled.

_Flashback_

_Midoriko started with the prophecy. "There is a prophecy as old as time. A babe with blue rimmed eyes and red irises will be born on a moonless night. On his seventeenth birthday, a rain of terrors shall follow; the sky, forever dark; the earth, forever cold. Many shall try and destroy him, but none shall prevail. Cries of mournful mothers will engulf the sky. Fathers drenched in the blood of the fallen weep with pain. And he, the new king, shall rule all."_

_Kagome's eyes grew wide. "Is that…"_

_"Yes, the prophecy talks of Nozomu." She sighed. "The prophecy was not heeded, but I think even if we had, this still would have happened. Fate's design has no way out, unless, of course, they provide a way out themselves."_

_Kagome raised an eyebrow. "How?"_

_Midoriko thought for a moment. "The story goes that there once was a young hanyou. He was seventeen years old. Notable to return back to his birth place, he was left to wander the earth. He was angry that he was all alone. He began doing terrible things to the villages he passed. Many tried to stop him, but not one person was able to. In no time, he was ruler of the land. If anyone wanted to survive, they had to listen and obey his every command. Days passed after his ruling and he became lonely. The emptiness that was in his heart came back. Taking a couple of his men, he raided a nearby village to erase the empty feeling. He set the huts on fire and destroyed the people. He watched as the people tried to run away, and he had no guilt in hunting them down. But then he saw a young girl the same age as him was there. She had hair the color of the night sky and big round eyes that told a story of sadness and understanding. The hanyou felt attracted to the young girl. He decided to take her and make her his personal slave."_

_End Flashback_

Kagome couldn't believe she forgot something so important. Midoriko clearly stated that Nozomu was not always the person she knew him as now. Something changed him.

"Naraku must have changed him somehow." She began to ponder what Nozomu was like before he was changed. If she remembered correctly, hanyou's had three different sides: half-demon, human certain times of the month, and a full-demon side that operated as a defense when they were in danger. Nozomu had to be the full-demon side. But what purpose would it serve to have Nozomu. Nozomu was the ruler and Naraku was just the adviser. If Naraku had the power to changed Nozomu into who he currently was, then why wasn't Naraku the one ruling? Inuyasha popped into her mind. Was he too a part of the prophecy?

Kagome flopped on her bed. She glanced at the ceiling as questions began swarming into her head. Maybe Nozomu was just a cover for Naraku to go about his business freely. It didn't matter anymore. What mattered was that Naraku new about the jewel and wanted it for himself. He knew that Kagome was connected to it. As far as she could tell, he had no clue that she possessed it.

How was she suppose to save the world if she didn't know where to start or what to do? Freeing the hanyou was proving to be very difficult. Now trapped, Kagome didn't know how she was going get to Nozomu. Escape was impossible.

"I'm back Kagome."

She jumped. Getting away from the door as Naraku walked him. She watched him with steady eyes. Time was up.

"I just came back from visiting Nozomu. He was looking terrible."

"Quit your lies Naraku and tell me what you want."

Naraku slowly began walking up to her. "It's not a lie Kagome. It seems Nozomu is a lot stronger than I thought. Mentally that is. It was a good thing I went to see him."

"What did you do to him?" he just smiled at her. "You killed him?!"

"Oh no Kagome. Well, not yet at least. He won't be going anywhere at the moment." Naraku reached out and caressed her cheek. "You look just like her."

Kagome smacked his hand away and glared at him, not even deeming his gesture with words. "My patience is running low Kagome. You will tell me what I want to know."

"Never." She snarled. She'd be damned if she ever told him.

"You're trying so hard to be tough, but I know fear. You're shaking." Kagome kept quiet. "I know what will cheer you up." He grabbed her arm with a death grip and began roughly dragging her out the room. She pulled as hard as she could, but he would not let her go. They continued down the hall until they came across a cell.

Kagome gasped as she saw Nozomu lying on the ground. Naraku opened up the cell door and threw her inside. "I will let you have some time with you lover. When I come back you better be ready to answer my questions. If not, I'll start cutting him up." Naraku walked away.

When he was gone, Kagome looked over at Nozomu, eyes scanning his body for any visible injuries. She touched him gingerly and whispered softly, "What did he do to you?" She was not happy at the circumstance, but she was with Nozomu. Now she just has to wake him and bring back the hanyou. Hopefully something good would happen then.

**XXX**

"You're an idiot, you know that?"

Nozomu grumbled as he opened his eyes, but instead of seeing anything familiar, he was in darkness. He could barely see a thing ahead of him. "Who the hell is out there?" He growled.

"He doesn't know where he is," Another voice said.

Shaking his head, Nozomu growled even louder, scrambling to stand up. His vision tilted slightly and it took much of his willpower to stay balanced. Whatever Naraku had given him had really screwed with his body. "Show yourselves."

"Still ordering people around, huh?" The first voice grew louder and Naraku began making out a shape in the darkness. As it came closer, it started to look like—but no—that couldn't be possible.

"Inuyasha?" Nozomu growled as the half-demon stood before him. It was possible; actually, it was real since he stood right in front of him.

"And human Inuyasha," called the second voice, suddenly appearing out of the darkness next to Inuyasha.

"Nice for you to drop in, Nozomu." Inuyasha crossed his arms and glared at him. "How much of an ass have you made yourself now?"

"Insulting him that quick?" Human Inuyasha laughed.

Nozomu bristled. "Don't you dare speak like that to me, half-breed."

The hanyou rolled his eyes, while the human sighed loudly. "Like I ever listened to you before." He frowned. "You're in big trouble if you're here, Nozomu."

"What do you mean?" The demon frowned, his forehead burrowed in confusion. He hated being confused, especially when he needed to get out and find Kagome.

"Kagome's safe—at least, for now." Human Inuyasha answered the question he heard cross Nozomu's mind. It still bothered him to have that type of connection with him, but for now he wasn't going to complain.

"Where the hell is she then?" Nozomu demanded, growing impatient quickly.

"She's with you," The half-demon replied, eyes flashing with an emotion that Nozomu couldn't place.

"In the physical world." Human Inuyasha continued, "in the cell where Naraku put the both of you."

"I'm going to kill him." Nozomu snarled.

Inuyasha glared at him. "If you had just _listened_ to me, you wouldn't have been deceived so easily by that wench Kagura." He huffed. "If you're trying to win Kagome's heart, bedding other women won't help."

"Who I take into my bed is my business."

Human Inuyasha suddenly appeared between the two selves and began pushing them away from each other. "You guys, if you want to save Kagome, I suggest that you two start acting your age! Fighting like children isn't going to help."

Nozomu ignored him, but decided to ask a question that had been burning in his mind since he awoke. "Where the hell am I?"

"You're trapped inside your mind." Half-demon Inuyasha stared hard at him, wishing he could throw the stupid demon down, even if it was only in a mental way. "Our body isn't fully recovered from what Naraku did to it. You're stuck here until then."

Nozomu sighed angrily, raking a hand through his silver hair. "So I have to sit here with you buffoons until my body is recovered?"

"_Our_ body," Human Inuyasha emphasized. "We're still here you know."

"Barely. I've been in control for quite some time now." Nozomu gave the others a satisfying smirk.

"Do you really think you're the only one keeping this body alive?" Inuyasha turned to face his demon. "If I had never existed, you would have never gotten a body."

Nozomu kept smirking. "And the stronger of us two was the one who got to keep it. Once I get the jewel, I'll dispose of the human part of me," He gestured to the Human Inuyasha, who didn't even seem fazed by the fact that Nozomu was going to erase his existence. "And you, as the half-demon version of myself, will disappear." His smirk grew wide.

Inuyasha didn't even blink. "You can't do that. Getting rid of the human aspect of yourself with the jewel will destroy this body." He stepped closer until he was right in Nozomu's face. "Our body is the human part of us, and the strength and powers we possess is where our demon traits manifest."

The smirk was wiped off Nozomu's face. "What?"

Human Inuyasha stepped in. "Basically, what Inuyasha is saying is that if you get rid of me, you can say goodbye to our body."

"But I've been the one controlling the body this whole time! I don't _need_ you." He spat, looking at the other two, chest heaving from his rage.

"Without us, you are nothing." Half-demon Inuyasha smirked. "The truth stings, doesn't it?"

Grinding his teeth, Nozomu whirled around, raking a hand through his hair once again. Then a thought occurred to him. He turned around to face the hanyou. "If that is true, then you also can't exist without me. I am the demon aspect in you and you cannot rid yourself of me or you would cease to exist."

Inuyasha looked as if he wanted to deny it, but it was true. "I hate you. You've brought nothing, but misery to others. Especially to Kagome. I wish I could get rid of you."

"I acquired power and land." Nozomu hissed. "You have done nothing, but complain since you were a child. Do you know how long I had to suffer those idiotic thoughts?" He continued without waiting for an answer. "And Kagome came willingly to me."

"Willingly my ass!" Inuyasha shouted in anger, interrupting Nozomu before he could keep going. "You used the love she has for her friends to manipulate her, you used her body to satisfy your own damn needs and yet you treat her like she isn't worth shit!"

The tension was palpable between the demon and the hanyou, the human self almost forgotten until he spoke up, appearing near them, sitting down in a thoughtful posture. "Kagome only agreed to save her friends. She told me, the first time I met her. She lost everything because of you. Her life and her family. She was never willing."

Nozomu glared at him. "So she did see you on the new moon."

"Yes, she did." Human Inuyasha nodded serenely. "It is why Inuyasha is now the strongest of the two of us." He glanced at Nozomu and didn't let him answer. "You must remember that Inuyasha is the combined version of us. You weakened me, but Kagome strengthened me." He stood up, his violet eyes serious as he regarded the demon in front of him. "You will soon lose the battle to control this body, and you might as well accept defeat gracefully."

Nozomu steamed, but found that he couldn't deny it. He had been feeling it for weeks now; the half-breed was indeed becoming stronger and now that Naraku had betrayed him, it would be much harder to not slip into unawareness. But Nozomu would not go down without a fight and turned to the hanyou.

"I don't care if you are getting stronger—don't expect to take back this body so easily."

Inuyasha smirked. "I wouldn't expect it any other way."

The image in front of him began to look fuzzy and Nozomu tried to shake it off, but it wasn't working.

"Tell Kagome I'll see her soon." The hanyou called out, just as his face was blurred into darkness, but Nozomu didn't really register it. He fell with a thump onto the ground, unmoving.

**XXX**

Kagome's heart sped as Nozomu began to come to. She was afraid, but elated at the same time. Kagome hated being so conflicted. It didn't help her in this situation. It also didn't help that she couldn't get the image of Nozomu in bed with another woman. It stung more than she wanted to admit.

"I'm going to kill Naraku." Nozomu growled, opening his eyes and attempting to sit up, which he found that he could do. The effects of the tonic given to him had finally subsided and his mind was clear. He rubbed his eyes and then settled his gaze on Kagome, who sat away from him, her face turned away from him.

Kagome didn't dare look at him. She didn't want to see his eyes and what they might say to her. She didn't want to cry in front of him, but the tears welled in her eyes unbidden. She _hated_ it, absolutely hated it. Still, she didn't let them fall. She wouldn't let him have the satisfaction.

Nozomu sensed something was wrong immediately. He didn't need his nose to smell the tears to know that she was upset somehow. He glanced down at himself, wondering how he had clothes on. He shrugged, deciding not to question it. He sat up and reached for Kagome. At first, she slapped his hands away from her, but he was able to grab her chin and turn her towards him.

"What's wrong?" He breathed softly.

Kagome was startled by his gentleness and it did nothing to help her tears. They fell, and she unwillingly let them. She couldn't hold it in anymore as she glared at him, taking his hand off her chin.

"How dare you touch me," She stood up, backing away from him and turning her back to him. "Keep you dirty hands to yourself."

"What the hell are you angry about?"

She didn't turn to him and instead ignored his question, sighing. "We need to find a way out of this cell. We can't do anything sitting here."

"Don't ignore my question." Nozomu growled. "Tell me what you're upset about."

"I don't think you can use your strength here. Surely Naraku will have put enchantments to counter that." Kagome paused thoughtfully, a finger on her chin in concentration.

"Kagome." Nozomu growled in warning. She was not going to make him look like a fool.

She continued without so much as batting an eyelash, "I don't think we have much time either. Naraku knows something about me and the way he keeps looking at me makes my skin crawl."

"Dammit, Kagome!" The demon king crossed the room, grabbed her arm and whirled her around to face him. They were also nose to nose; any closer and he could kiss her. The thought was very tempting, but dammit, he was going to get his answer! "What the hell are you angry about?"

"Me?" Kagome smiled coldly and then it vanished as she continued. "What would I be angry about? Surely you haven't done anything to warrant my anger." The words that left her sounded more bitter than she had intended them to be. _Damn it._ She set her nastiest glare at him, her gaze not wavering one bit.

"Answer my question!"

"Or what?" She shrugged. "You'll kill me? Well, tough luck, Nozomu. I already know that. You discard your toys and get new ones when you tire of them, don't you? How about you go bother _her_?" She snarled. The sound was foreign to her. She didn't know why she was so angry, but it welled up inside her and goodness she was going to give him a piece of her mind!

"Who the hell are you talking about?"

Kagome narrowed her blue-gray eyes. "You know who I'm talking about. I saw you and her together. What kind of man does that make you?"

Nozomu racked his brains and suddenly realized what she was talking about. She must've seen him with Kagura, when he had thought it was actually Kagome. Something desperate welled up in his chest; she needed to know the truth.

"Kagome, I thought she was you." He said the truth, wondering how she would take that. That should melt her heart.

Instead, Kagome pulled away and let out a bitter laugh. "I'm supposed to believe you? You could at least come up with a more believable lie."

"I'm not lying, Kagome." The raven-haired turned around in astonishment at hearing her name said so tenderly by him. "Naraku gave me this tonic that made that wench look and smell like you."

"Then you were a fool," Kagome spoke quietly. "to think that I would ever give myself to you like that. You don't know anything, do you?" Her eyes were glazed with unshed tears. "You don't know me at all. How dare you ask anything and everything of me if you're so easily fooled by a tonic? You don't deserve any of it."

Her words shocked him into silence, because in the deepest part of him, he knew she was right. And he realized he never did deserve her.

"I see you're awake, Nozomu."

Naraku's voice cut through the silence, and his smirk really made Kagome's stomach churn. He was back to exact his promise. He then turned his gaze to her. "Tell me now or I will go through with my threat."

Nozomu glanced between the two in confusion. Why was Naraku interrogating Kagome? Wasn't it him he wanted? Kagome looked desperate as she glanced frantically between Naraku and Nozomu. Then suddenly, she squared her shoulders and looked at him without a doubt in her voice.

"Fine," She agreed. "But no one else gets hurt because of me, understand?"

Nozomu watched Naraku throw his head back and laugh. "Very good, Kagome. I knew you would come around." He reached out and touched her cheek, caressing it as if he was remembering a tender moment.

That's when Nozomu punched him.

It was like his body had moved without him telling it to. He didn't mind at all though, as he watched Naraku growl and stand up. He made a swiping gesture with his hand and suddenly Nozomu was being thrown to the wall with the force of hurricane winds. He heard Kagome scream, but when he tried to stand up, he felt invisible ropes restraining him.

"Damn you, Naraku." He bellowed. He struggled against the invisible threads, but it didn't loosen a bit.

Naraku glared at him. "You are in my domain, Nozomu." He grabbed Kagome's arm, and who was looking at him like she wanted to help, and threw her out of the cell and locked it back up.

And there was no one else he could blame but himself.

**I know it has been awhile, but Daichilover and I have been extremely busy with school. This story is not abandoned and I hope you guys are still reading it!**


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